Nasrullah calls France to support inter-Lebanese dialogue, rejects to dismantle weapons
Lebanon-France, Politics, 4/14/2005

The secretary general of the Hizbullah party has called on France to take part in pushing forward national dialogue and internal reconciliation in Lebanon which is in a political crisis following the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri.

In a message addressed to France, Sheikh Hassan Nasrullah said that Paris is invited to "contribute to pushing forward a national dialogue" in Lebanon following the role it played in the making of UN resolution 1559 that provoked much of the Lebanese." He commended France's key role in reaching The April Understandings which opened the way before the movement of the Lebanese resistance and made it internationally recognized at a large scale, as well as the operation of releasing the Lebanese prisoners in the Israeli jails. The message was issued by the Lebanese daily Assafir and the French daily Le Figaro today, Thursday.

The French diplomacy played with Iran and Hariri a basic role in 1996 in forming what is called "The April Understanding" committee which stated the right of the Hizbullah party to resist the Israeli occupation and avoid civilians.

Talking about dismantling his party's weapons, Nasrullah said "resistance weapons are but a strategic protection for Lebanon that can not be given up at any pressure or threat because this will make of Lebanon and the Lebanese stay under the mercy of the Israeli fire," and make them loose the meaning of freedom and independence.

He considered that UN resolution 1559 came in the framework of a settlement between the US and France at the expense of Lebanon and the interests of Israel.

The Lebanese leader considered that the decision has two parts: one relates to the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from Lebanon, which is the French part, and the other is on dismantling weapons of the militias, which is the American part.

Previous Stories:
  Chirac accuses the Syrian intelligence of running Lebanon   (2/23/2005)
  Chirac, Blair discuss the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1559   (12/7/2004)
  Obeid confers with French Ambassador on regional issues   (9/18/2004)

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