Nasrullah: even with prisoners and Shebaa farm settled, we will be a side to the conflict with Israel
Lebanon-Israel, Politics, 11/5/2003

The secretary general of the Hizbullah party Hassan Nasrullah has welcomed the reports which talked about Israel's inclination to complete the prisoners exchange deal and withdrawal from the Shebaa farms.

Nasrullah explained in a speech delivered during an Iftar banquet in Beirut, that next week will be decisive towards the fate of the prisoners deal in light of the results of negotiations carried out by the German mediators.

But he added that closing the file of the prisoners of the Shebaa farms will not get the Hizbullah party out of the circle of conflict with Israel nor permits it to "single out Syria."

He added "Israel's problem with us and with Lebanon is not only the prisoners and the Shebaa farms. They are beyond that. It is the problem of a repeated aggression against Lebanon and a threat to Lebanon and to the brothers of Lebanon." The Israeli foreign minister Shalom Silvan on September 22nd expressed optimism over the success of the mediation carried out by Germany to exchange the prisoners.

Since October 2000, Hizbullah has been holding three Israeli soldiers it detention in the occupied Shebaa farms at the Syrian- Lebanese, Israeli borders. The party also holds a reserve army officer and described him as a Mossad member.

On the other hand, Israel detains some 20 Lebanese including two of the party leaders. They are Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid and Mustafa al-Deirani who were kidnapped from Lebanon in 1989 and 1994, where Israel was seeking to get information about the Israeli pilot Don Arad whose plane was downed over Lebanon in 1986.

Israel is also holding some 6,000 Palestinians and unknown numbers of Jordanians and Syrians.

Previous Stories:
  Some 16 Lebanese returned back from Israel   (10/31/2003)
  Nasrullah gives Israel last chance: prisoners will return by negotiations or other means   (10/29/2003)
  Lebanon receives a prisoner from Tel Aviv; Israel, Hizbullah exchange bombardment   (10/28/2003)
  Israeli warplanes violate the Lebanese airspace   (10/14/2003)
  Nasrullah threatens Israel of maching 'madness for madness'   (10/11/2003)

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