Hizbullah Launches Verbal Campaign to Defend its Arsenal
Hizbullah has launched a verbal campaign against the pro-government March 14 coalition which criticized the Shiite group for its continued adherence to weapons.
Head of Hizbullah”s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad said a "state which does not preserve the right of the resistance … will not preserve the interests of the citizens, particularly since our country is subject to nonstop Zionist threats."
Raad said Israel has even hinted it would "target everything" in Lebanon for "simply sensing there is someone building a defense force to protect our country."
Addressing March 14 leaders, Raad said: "Blocking the role of the resistance and preventing it from exercising its right is not your right."
Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah, meanwhile, warned Premier Fouad Saniora against speaking on behalf of the cabinet unless he adheres to the constitution.
Saniora should "not manipulate the constitution and should not go beyond unanimous cabinet decisions, because taking decisions against the resistance is no longer acceptable in Lebanon," Fadlallah threatened.
Hizbullah official in south Lebanon Sheikh Nabih Qaouk, for his part, paid little attention to "those opposing the right to resistance in the ministerial statement."
Hizbullah”s campaign coincided with debate on a policy statement which continued Sunday after two days of heated deliberations.
Negotiations on the policy statement, which are expected to resume at 10:30am Monday, have been hampered by disputes on the key issue of the arsenal of Hizbullah, which has continued to insist on the "right to resist" Israel.
The statement itself insists on "the right of Lebanon, its people, its army and its resistance to liberate its land" that is occupied by Israel.
At least 10 MPs delivered speeches at the fourth Parliament session Sunday designed to discuss the policy statement.
Lebanese Forces MP Elie Kayrouz criticized the Doha accord, saying it was not a "real settlement" of the 18-month Lebanon political crisis since it failed to provide a solution for Hizbullah arms.
MP Abbas Hashem of Aoun”s Reform and Change bloc indirectly criticized March 14 legislators for "insisting on raising provocative issues."
March 14 MP Samir Franjieh said the role of the new government is to manage conflict disputes.
"The conflict in Lebanon is one about the nature of the state," Franjieh told Parliament. "This conflict cannot be solved by means of a national unity government or a policy statement," he stressed.