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Nasrallah: no opposition veto, no presidential election
Daily Star,
Lebanon, January 3, 2008
By Mirella
Hodeib
BEIRUT:
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday that
the opposition acquiring veto power in the next government
was the only solution to the 13-month old political standoff
in Lebanon, adding that he and his allies were fighting
against US plans for this country rather than against the
ruling March 14 Forces.
The sayyed also
accused March 14 of obstructing all international
initiatives to solve the crisis in Lebanon.
"The governing
coalition's refusing all attempts to set the foundations for
a true partnership has proved to be the main obstacle
hindering any solution," he said during an interview with
NBN television.
The interview
was aired simultaneously by Hizbullah's Al-Manar television.
Nasrallah's
last public appearance came in November, when he delivered a
speech to address "maneuvers" Hizbullah undertook in South
Lebanon.
"The ruling
coalition considers granting us a blocking minority as
'political suicide.' We say that the opposition acquiring
veto power means blocking US plans in Lebanon," he said.
Nasrallah said
the opposition was working on countering US influence in
Lebanon.
"The US works
on having a pro-US government in Lebanon which would
facilitate the building of US military bases and follow the
orders of the US administration," he argued, adding that
Washington wanted to "forever abolish the spirit and culture
of resistance in Lebanon."
According to
Nasrallah, the US is also aiming to bring about the
permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,
"not for humanitarian reasons of course but to jeopardize
the Palestinian cause and the right of Palestinians to
return to their homeland."
"Mind you, we
don't see the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon as
jeopardizing the sectarian status quo," he added.
"Acquiring veto
power inside the new government will allow us to foil such
plans," he said, "and, most importantly, to monitor the
economy of the country and protect it against dubious
deals."
Nasrallah also
confirmed that Hizbullah backed the commander of the
Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, for the
presidency.
But "electing
General Suleiman will not solve the problem," he warned. "We
need a national unity government in which the opposition has
veto power."
Speaker Nabih
Berri has postponed for the 11th time a parliamentary
session to elect a new president. The vote is now scheduled
for January 12.
The country has
been without a head of state since Emile Lahoud's term
expired at midnight on November 23 without feuding political
rivals having agreed on a successor.
The government
and the opposition have agreed on Suleiman as the man for
the job, but remain at odds over the election process and
the shape of a new administration.
The opposition
is demanding a "basket" of guarantees on the new government
line-up ahead of any vote
Some of
Nasrallah's comments were common opposition arguments echoed
by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem earlier Wednesday.
Speaking during
a news conference in Damascus, Moallem said Syria had agreed
with France on a compromise that would give the opposition
veto power in a new cabinet but that parliamentary majority
leader MP Saad Hariri refused to sign on.
Nasrallah said
the opposition would not "remain silent" in face of the
ruling coalition's attempts to "monopolize rule."
"We are waiting
for mediations to succeed," he told NBN, "but if they fail
and the situation persists there will be a move by the
opposition," which would "resort to civic and legitimate
means."
Asked whether
Hizbullah endorsed calls to revisit the Taif Accord that
ended the 1975-1990 Civil War, Nasrallah said his party
never considered the pact "as the core of the deadlock."
"We don't
consider the Taif Accord as the core to the problem; we
never called for it to be amended and we will never do
unless all the Lebanese agree to that," he said.
He
acknowledged, however, added that Hizbullah had "comments"
on Taif, and called for "accurate implementation" of the
agreement, which altered Lebanon's system of confessional
power-sharing.
"We demand that
some unclear constitutional articles be interpreted or at
least explained, such as the quorum to elect the next
president or shares of Cabinet seats," he said.
Tackling the
issue of political assassinations, Nasrallah reiterated
earlier accusations that Israel was responsible.
Addressing the
issue of media reports alleging divisions inside his party,
Nasrallah said they "make the Hizbullah team laugh and these
are attempts to mutilate our image."
Hizbullah
issued a statement last month dismissing reports about new
appointments in the group's high command. The Saudi-owned
London-based Ash-Sharq al-Awsat daily and Israel's Maariv
newspaper reported early in December that Iran's spiritual
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had stripped Nasrallah of
his military authority and appointed his deputy, Sheikh Naim
Qassem, as commander of the party's armed wing.
"Hizbullah is
one of the most homogenous groups," Nasrallah said during
the interview. "There is harmony among us all." |
