President Mubarak received Phalange leader and former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel on Saturday at the presidential headquarters, after which Gemayel declared his appreciation of Egypt's efforts to support stability in Lebanon.

Gemayel said he discussed with Mubarak the situation in Lebanon after the collapse of Saad Al-Hariri's government and added that they agreed on the importance of strengthening Lebanese institutions to bring the country out of its current problems.

He added that both agreed that the most important thing is to strengthen Lebanese unity against foreign interference.

Talking about the future of Lebanon, Gemayel explained that the current challenge is for Lebanon to face up to foreign interference that hinders its democratic path.

He added that there are parties in Lebanon that work for democracy and respect the role of institutions, but that they are having to face other parties that depend on the use of weapons to influence local politics and ultimately hinder democracy. 

Commenting on his visit, Gemayel said that the Egyptian president fully supported democracy in Lebanon and decried any resort to the use of arms to sway internal politics.