Hizbullah”s Recognition of Israel a Condition for Dialogue
The United States has made it clear that Hizbullah must renounce violence and recognize Israel before it can expect even low-level U.S. engagement.
"Hizbullah is acting as a state within a state," the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted a U.S. official as saying.
He said Hizbullah held celebrations on the occasion of commander Imad Mughniyeh”s assassination anniversary in Beirut”s southern suburbs while for years the Shiite party denied any link to Mughniyeh.
He said U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman met with Deputy Head of the Supreme Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan in Beirut last week in order to make clear to him that President Barack Obama was committed to Lebanon”s sovereignty and independence.
The official told al-Hayat that the mission of U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell includes achieving comprehensive peace on all tracks: Israeli-Palestinian, Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli.
Asked if the U.S. would change its policy if Hizbullah and Michel Aoun”s Free Patriotic Movement became the majority in parliament, the official said that the government that will be formed after the elections should stress commitment to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 so that the current partnership between the international community and Lebanon continues.
The U.S. official lauded President Michel Suleiman”s efforts "to come up with a strategy that protects the country from the consequences of having two separate visions."
The U.S. is concerned about efforts to cripple the government, he said, wondering how Syria”s supporters in Lebanon claim that a national unity cabinet is the only choice after the elections.
"Had they wanted the perfect government for Lebanon, they would have stopped crippling it," the official said.
Meanwhile, the White House said Tuesday that both Hamas and Hizbullah must renounce violence and recognize Israel before they can expect dialogue with the U.S.
The comments came after U.S. ally Britain confirmed last week that it had authorized low-level contact with the political wing of Hizbullah, to stress the urgency of disbanding militias.
"The president has stated on a number of occasions that, in order for anything like that to happen, there are certain responsibilities that those individual organizations have," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Those requirements include recognizing the right of Israel to exist and renouncing "terrorist activities," he said, also referring to the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip.
"There are activities and responsibilities that have to be undertaken by those organizations well before this administration can render a judgment," Gibbs said.
The State Department said last week that the United States was not ready to follow Britain”s move.
Britain has had no official talks with Hizbullah since 2005, and last July added its military wing to a blacklist of designated terror groups.