Hizbollah says disarmament not an option
Wed Aug 16, 8:25 AM ET
TYRE, Lebanon (Reuters) - Hizbollah said on Wednesday the idea of
disarming its guerrillas "was not on the table" -- especially with
Israeli forces still in south Lebanon.
Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, the group's top official in the south, reiterated
Hizbollah's right to fight Israeli troops remaining in Lebanon before
the deployment of the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers, expected in
the coming days and weeks.
"Today, the issue of Hizbollah relinquishing its weapons is not on the
table. There are priorities and obligations that the state should do
first before that," Kaouk told reporters in the port city of Tyre.
"The presence of Israeli tanks in the south is an aggression and the
resistance reserves its right to face such aggression if it
persisted," he said.
The Shi'ite Muslim group has cast doubts on the Lebanese army's
ability to defend the country against Israel, saying its
guerrillas are better placed to fight any aggression.
A U.N.-brokered truce on Monday halted a 34-day war between the Jewish
state and the Iranian-backed group in which more than 1,100 people in
Lebanon, mostly civilians, were killed.
At least 157 Israelis died in the conflict, which was ignited by
Hizbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.
Kaouk said Hizbollah welcomed the Lebanese army's deployment south of
the Litani river. He also said Hizbollah would not keep a visible
armed presence in the border area.
Israeli troops have begun preparations to make way for U.N.
peacekeepers, who are expected to help the Lebanese army enforce the
truce.
However, Israeli army chief Dan Halutz said on Wednesday his troops
would stay in southern Lebanon for months if that was how long it took
for a bigger U.N. force to be deployed.
--
"Science is the record of dead religions." -- Oscar Wilde
"There are no absolute certainties in this universe. A man must try to
whip order into a yelping pack of probabilities, and uniform success is
impossible." -- Jack Vance
"Civilization is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" -- Ambrose Bierce
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@NOSPAMverizon.net
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