|
Hezbollah corrects Guardian's misleading statements |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 12 April 2007 |
Hezbollah's information relations office commented on the interview by the Guardian with deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Kassem saying: "The British Guardian daily dealt with the content of Wednesday's interview with his eminence, in a way that led to another meaning than the intended in two cases:
1- In naming the services which support militias and speaking about its alignment. The recorded interview shows that Shiekh Kassem said that pro-government groups are arming and all reports confirm that pro-government parties are arming in regions and villages, and this is dangerous because weapons in people's hands in Lebanon are weapons of sedition and we warn against this. All Lebanese and Arab reports confirm the arming campaign by pro-government militias, and this is going on with the knowledge of the prime minister and is facilitated by the security forces under his command. We consider this to be wrong and does not solve the problem.
2- The Guardian said that Hezbollah does not rule out another confrontation with Israel this summer and confirmed that the group was rearming. However the reporter asked Sheikh Kassem: "There are news about an Israeli war erupting again this summer or in the future, what are the measures Hezbollah is going to take regarding the people? His eminence replied: "We cannot be absolutely certain of an Israeli war breaking out or not. I believe a long time is needed to rebuild the Israeli army, yet we have to keep in our calculations the possibility of another adventure, or demanding US interests which push Israel into such dangers.
Guardian Report: Hizbullah accuses US of secret war and arming opponents
By Clancy Chassay
Washington is waging a covert war against Hizbullah, according to the
militant group, which accuses the US administration of arming anti-Hizbullah
militias and seeking to undermine the Lebanese army in moves which could plunge
the country back into civil war.
"Dick Cheney [US vice president] has given orders for a covert war against
Hizbullah...there is now an American programme that is using Lebanon to further
its goals in the region," Sheikh Naim Qasim, Hizbullah's deputy secretary
general, told the Guardian in an interview in a safe house deep in Beirut's
Hizbullah-controlled southern suburbs.
The accusation follows reports in the US and British media that the CIA has been
authorised to take covert action against the militant Shia group, which receives
substantial military backing from Iran, as part of wider strategy by the Bush
administration to prevent the spread of Iranian influence in the region.
According to the reports, US intelligence agencies are authorised to provide
"non-lethal" funding to anti-Hizbullah groups in Lebanon and to activists who
support the western-backed government of Fouad Siniora.
But Hizbullah accused the Lebanese government of arming groups across the
country. "This happens with the knowledge of the prime minister and is
facilitated by the security forces under his command," said Sheikh Qasim.
The Bush administration recently set aside $60m (£30m) to fund the interior
ministry's internal security force, which has almost doubled in size to 24,000
troops. Sheikh Qasim said there was a growing anti-Hizbullah bias in the
security services. "The internal security forces have not succeeded in playing a
balanced role... The sectarian issue is very delicate when it comes to the
security services."
Cabinet minister Ahmed Fatfat told the Los Angeles Times late last year that the
increase in interior ministry personnel was to counter the growing influence of
Iran and its Shia ally in Lebanon.
Earlier this year, in his state of the union address, President George Bush
accused Hizbullah of "seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected
government."
Sheikh Qasim rejected the accusation, claiming Washington had scuppered attempts
by the Lebanese government and the Hizbullah-led opposition to reach a
compromise. "We think that if it wasn't for America's interference, we would
have resolved the issue of participating in the government a long time ago," he
said.
"America is forcing the government forces to prolong this crisis, because they
want a price for it... They want to tie Lebanon into negotiations that benefit
Israel and their plan for a new Middle East."
The political standoff in Beirut had revolved around an opposition demand for
veto power over key cabinet decisions, including an international tribunal to
try suspects for the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
But in a speech at the weekend Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said he
had given up hope of reaching a compromise with the government. He said the only
way out of the crisis was through a referendum or early elections.
Sheikh Qasim said Hizbullah did not rule out another confrontation with Israel
this summer and confirmed that the group was rearming: "We are prepared for the
possibility of another adventure or the demand of American policy that might
push the IDF [Israeli Defence Force] in that direction."
Comments posted are the sole opinion of the author and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of AIM. |
