Hizbullah for an “Efficient Christian Role” and a “Permanent Defensive Force”
Hizbullah”s international relations official Nawaf Moussawi has called for the formation of what he called an efficient Christian bloc and said Lebanon needs the Shiite group because Israel is in a continuous state of aggression.
"Resistance is needed in order to remove Israeli occupation. We are still in a state of liberation of what”s left of occupied Lebanese lands," Moussawi told Kuwait”s al-Qabas daily in remarks published Monday.
He said Israel was in a continuous state of aggression even if it withdrew from occupied Lebanese territories.
"Lebanon needs a permanent defensive force. Where do we get this force? The resistance is the defensive force that would face this aggression anytime," Moussawi stressed in the interview carried out in December 2008.
He said the Lebanese army didn”t have enough arms to face Israel.
The Hizbullah official also rejected the concept of liberating land through peace talks.
"Regaining territories through negotiations is a useless process," he said. "We liberated most of our lands in 2000 through resistance not through negotiations."
"The Arabs announced the Arab peace initiative at the Beirut summit and what was the Israeli answer? We should not bury our heads in the sand … Israel doesn”t want it (peace). It wants aggression," he told the newspaper.
Asked if the reason for the Israeli attacks was Hizbullah”s presence, Moussawi said: "The Israeli aggression on Lebanon is not linked to Hizbullah or any other resistance. Israel”s objective is to control Lebanon”s water and land."
He also denied Iran was funding Hizbullah.
"The party has its own budget that relies on self capabilities," he said.
Iran insists that its support for Hizbullah is only moral in nature and rejects allegations it funds or arms the group via Syria.
Asked if Hizbullah was working for the interest of the Syrian-Iranian axis, Moussawi said: "We are against the American-Israeli axis and welcome anyone who joins us … Financial support has been given by several Arab countries. What Iran gave was part of assistance to the Lebanese people."
The Hizbullah official accused some "militias" of wanting to drag Lebanon into civil war during last year”s clashes in May between the Shiite party”s fighters and al-Mustaqbal movement gunmen.
When asked about the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, Moussawi said Lebanon needs an "efficient Christian role" in order to create a balance.
"The efficient Christian role comes only from a large Christian parliamentary bloc … We are fully ready to help form a big Christian bloc," he said.
He said Hizbullah holds onto its alliance with Gen. Michel Aoun”s Free Patriotic Movement.