Don”t Pressure Hariri; We Do Not Want Guarantees for Weapons or Tribunal
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gave the designated premier a boost Friday cautioning against pressures to form a government and pledging to endorse a future cabinet even if it did not include the Shiite party.
Nasrallah was speaking in a televised speech to mark the 1st anniversary of a prisoner swap with Israel in which five Lebanese prisoners were freed in return for the remains of two Israeli soldiers.
On the government formation, he said: "Any missed step or uncalculated pressuring is unnecessary… the country experienced dangerous division and is facing great challenges."
"We are required to cooperate to put and end to the division, there is an open window for that. I advise against using the element of time to pressure the premier designate to form a government.
"The (shape-up) deserves to take its time and we remain open to dialogue and partnership," he said.
Nasrallah denied reports that Hizbullah has been hampering the formation by asking for guarantees concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the party”s weapons arsenal as pre-conditions.
"I told Hariri, during our meeting, that we do not want guarantees for the resistance”s arsenal from the government or anyone else in this world. We both agreed that the issue is part of the national dialogue," he said.
"Now I speak for myself: even if the opposition and Hariri agree on a government that does not include (Hizbullah), I, Hassan Nasrallah will endorse and support it and will not be dismayed."
Nasrallah also said that Hizbullah has never asked for guarantees with regards to the tribunal, which was set up to investigate the bombing that killed former premier Rafik Hariri.
"We are not asking for guarantees concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The issue is not and has never been a topic of discussion with the other team. We are not asking for guarantees from the government either with regards to the tribunal," Nasrallah said.
Nasrallah criticized those who want to disturb the calm atmosphere in the country advising them to "reevaluate their positions because the people want dialogue and understanding."
He said Hizbullah supports meeting between "any side of the opposition with any side of the pro-government forces."
"We will not be provoked at this stage," he insisted, adding the opposition was "open-minded and will facilitate the government formation."
On another note, Nasrallah said Hizbullah remained committed to "recovering or freeing" prisoners or bodies of martyrs that are still in Israel”s possession in the absence of state effort to do so.
He said Hizbullah supported claims by the Skaff family that its son Yehia remained alive in Israeli prisons.
"We will not give in to Israel”s claims it returned (all prisoners and bodies) and will continue to work to recover those bodies," he promised.
"If the next government takes over these files, Hizbullah will be at its service. Let it bear the responsibility.
"We do not want to substitute the government in any issue. I am asking it to assume responsibility and we will be helpful," he added.
Nasrallah said the government had a responsibility to uncover the fate of four Iranian diplomats who went missing in Lebanon in 1982. Iran accuses Israel of holding the diplomats.
"Not because they are Iranian nationals, but because they are diplomats in Lebanon," Nasrallah said.
He also called on the future government to follow up the files of Lebanese missing in Syria and Syrians missing in Lebanon.
"Let their fate … be uncovered. Put an end to the misery of their families," Nasrallah said.
He thanked President Michel Suleiman for pardoning last week an innocent Palestinian who spent 15 years in prison after he was convicted of assassinating a Jordanian diplomat in Beirut.
"I do not know if there are other cases like that of Youssef Shaaban in Lebanese jails. But we have a responsibility … to address this issue," he said.
Nasrallah also called for an end to administrative detention asking the authorities to release prisoners, who have not been convicted of a crime.