Hizbullah Will Not Give Up its Arms Even After Liberation of Shebaa
Hizbullah has vowed not to give up its arms even if Israel pulled out of the disputed Shebaa Farms area in south Lebanon.
Any withdrawal from Shebaa Farms "will not change the fact that Lebanon needs the resistance," Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah said.
"Any Zionist withdrawal from the Shebaa Farms would be a big achievement for the resistance for this would be the result of its role and its pressure," Fadlallah said.
Hizbullah, which forced Israel”s pullout from south Lebanon in May 2000 after two decades of occupation, sees itself as the legitimate “resistance” to the Jewish state.
Fadlallah also accused the international community, particularly the United States, of involving itself recently in the Shebaa Farms issue "for aims linked to the resistance" – a reference to demands for Hizbullah to disarm."
"Those who think that putting the Shebaa Farms under international supervision could put pressure on the resistance…delude themselves," he added.
During a surprise visit to Lebanon Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she believed it was time to resolve the Shebaa Farms dispute in conformity with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
Meanwhile, the opposition”s follow-up committee said in a statement that the "resistance weapons are not subject to bargaining or compromise."
Hizbullah arms "have become a part of Lebanon”s might even after the liberation of Shebaa Farms and the release of the prisoners."
On Thursday, Rice and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon discussed the Shebaa Farms issue and the situation in the Palestinian territories.
Also Thursday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of the farms in the framework of the U.N.
"There is a proposal to grant the United Nations the role of mediator, and this is nothing new," Kouchner said.
"I opened the issue of the Lebanese Shebaa Farms with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday evening over dinner," Kouchner said, adding that "the talks were not easy."
The daily Al Akhbar on Friday said Egypt has also intervened in the Shebaa Farms issue.
Citing well-informed Egyptian sources, Al Akhbar said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will seek to "convince" Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh next week "to return Shebaa Farms to Lebanon."
Syria welcomed the possible Israeli pullout from the area.
"We are with the Israeli withdrawal from Arab land, whether it is called Shebaa, Golan (Heights) or Jerusalem," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said.
Lebanon, supported by Syria, claims sovereignty over Shebaa Farms while Israel says the region is part of the Syrian Golan Heights which the Jewish state seized in 1967 and unilaterally annexed.
Meanwhile, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said during a press briefing before the Rice-Ban meeting that the U.S. has "not been asked to play a direct role" in any talks between Lebanon and Israel.
"We”d be looking to have the U.N. and the Secretary General use his good offices to help resolve" the Shebaa farms issue, he said.