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Nasrallah slams Bush for meddling in Lebanon's affairs |
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Written by Rym Ghazal
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Saturday, 04 August 2007 |
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah slammed on Friday US President George
W. Bush for interfering with Lebanon's sovereignty by freezing assets of persons
"undermining" the government of Premier Fouad Siniora, and reiterated the
opposition's stance that the "only way" out of the current political crisis is
through a government of national unity.
"Bush keeps on meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs ... and no good will ever
come out of the US administration," Nasrallah told tens of thousands of his
followers in Baalbek on Friday, during a ceremony commemorating the summer 2006
war and the Bekaa's role in that conflict.
Bush declared on Thursday "a national emergency" initiative to deal with
"certain" persons that "undermine Lebanon's legitimate and democratically
elected government" by freezing their assets.
"The US is imposing its policies on the region and this country ... and it is
the one pushing for a civil war," said Nasrallah.
Nasrallah also demanded that the details of the Cabinet sessions during the
summer 2006 war be published.
In response to accusations that the party's alliance with Syria and Iran is
causing problems in Lebanon, he dared "anyone" to bring evidence of "Hizbullah's
dealing with Syria and Iran against Lebanon."
"Let us all depend on each other, and unite by forming a new government of
national unity," he said.
He added that once a national unity government is formed, then all pending
issues regarding the party's arms and a "national defense strategy" for Lebanon
will be discussed with Hizbullah's full cooperation.
"Our party welcomes any dialogue regarding our weapons, as we are not willing to
keep them forever," he said.
Nasrallah devoted a large portion of his speech to the Taif Accord, and called
on the leaders to "fully implement it" and not just focus on the disarmament
point. "You want the Taif? Then allow it to be implemented fully," said
Nasrallah.
"Whatever happened to balanced development all across Lebanon?" asked Nasrallah,
who accused "all governments" in Lebanon of neglecting the peripheries of the
country.
"The North, South and Bekaa, have all been victims of negligence," he said. "The
Bekaa is suffering from poverty not because of its political alliance, but due
to a historic neglect of this area and its people."
"The mind set of the ruling state needs to be changed," he warned. "We need to
change a state that is running this country as a bank, to a state that governs
the country as a country." Just 48 hours before the onset of the highly
competitive Metn by-election, Nasrallah defended the Free Patriotic Movement and
its alliance with the party.
"FPM is being attacked for its support of the resistance ... when the other
Christian team has allied itself with groups that have massacred, displaced and
destroyed homes of the Christians," he said, in apparent reference to the deadly
battles in the Chouf area between Druze and Christians during the Civil War.
"We never held any Christian responsible for crimes committed against us," he
added.
Nasrallah also saluted the Lebanese Army and their "courage" and blamed the US
for the great losses in the army in the ongoing battle against the militants of
Fatah al-Islam.
"The US left it up to the army to do their bidding in the area ... leaving the
sacrifices to be given up by the army,"he said. "Let me remind you, it was not
Hizbullah who ambushed and killed troops up in the North."
"We want to protect the army and its unity for the sake of this country," said
Nasrallah.
Source: Daily Star
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