Hizbullah Secretary General Speech on Ceremony Honoring Martyrs’ Children on 25 July 2010

The speech delivered by Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during the first central ceremony honoring martyrs' children who have reached the stage of self dependence held at Shahed School in Beirut Southern Suburb on Sunday afternoon.

In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Peace be on the Seal of prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household, chosen companions and all prophets and messengers. Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters! Peace be upon you all and Allah's mercy and blessing.

I would like to start this solemn occasion with a Hadith (saying) by the Prince of Believers Ali Bin Abi Taleb (Peace be upon him) while he was articulating his will on the bed of death - martyrdom death. It's a Hadith he quotes the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him) as saying: I have heard the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) saying: "Whoever supported an orphan until he (the orphan) is independent, Allah will obligatorily reward him with Heaven as He will obligatorily reward the robber of the orphan's money with Hell".

Today, we meet in this dear and solemn occasion. When we meet in the first honoring ceremony, it means this is the establishing meeting God Willing on which successive meetings for honoring the children of martyrs who have reached self dependence will be based in the coming years, this means the stage "until he is independent" which was mentioned in the Hadith. 

The choice of this timing made by the Martyr's Institution is quite appropriate as it is very symbolic and has several important indications on the intellectual, cultural, mobilization, psychological and spiritual levels. 

That is because on this very day - July 25th - a young man, who came from a family which had lost the father and the supporter in the path of resistance, was martyred.
This young man lived with his mother, relatives and family and under the support of the Martyr's Institution along with all those who back this Institution.

When he reached the stage of independence, he chose his own way. No one obliged him to become a fighter in the resistance, and this is the distinctive mark of the resistance fighters. We have always said "that there is no compulsory recruitment." The peculiarity of the resistance fighters is that they choose this way willingly - the way of jihad, martyrdom and victory, with all their awareness and cognition though still in their prime of life.

This young man was martyred in the heroic confrontations of Ainata, and we know that the Ainata confrontations of July War were part and parcel of the greater battle fought by several "Israeli" brigades to occupy the city of Bint Jbeil in order to reach the field on which the victory celebration was held on 25 May 2000 so that Olmert or the chief of staff or the Leader of the Northern Region deliver a speech there and announce that "Israel" is the house of steel.

However, martyr Ahmad Jaghbeer along with all his fellow martyrs and resistance fighters in 2006 renewed and stressed the saying that "Israel" is even frailer than the spider web.

Martyr Ahmad, whose day of martyrdom was chosen to be an annual day to hold this honoring celebration is the son of martyr Hassan Jaghbeer. In Lebanon they forget quickly, and at times, they are unfair to martyrs. 

Martyr Hassan is one of the resistance leaders, and I personally knew him. He is one of the resistance lions and strong men. He is the leader of Rihan Operation which was staged - I believe in 1993 - which aimed at capturing "Israeli" soldiers to free the detainees in Khiam Prison and "Israeli" detention centers. 

Martyr Hassan - the hero, strong-hearted, resistance fighter and leader - fell, and his family and children were raised on this path. Thus, Martyr Ahmad was the martyr son of the martyr father, as you have seen a while ago and I do not have to reiterate - though it's my honor to repeat and reverberate the names of our martyr fathers among our resistance fighters as well as their martyr sons, as the names and photos of the martyrs, and my brethrens have fulfilled some of the duties of reminding of the names of these martyrs and honoring their families.

Today, we meet here and our celebration embraces around 220 young men and girls from among the sons and daughters of our martyrs in a ceremony that crowns the stage of support and guardianship.

Many joined efforts and cooperated so that they achieve this stage, and therefore many sides deserve to be thanked and shown gratitude.

If I were to set them in order, first the good returns go to the wives of the martyrs (meaning the mothers of the martyrs' orphans). Many of the wives were still at the prime of their youth when their husbands were martyred.

Many of them insisted on assuming this great responsibility in absence of the supporter - which means bringing up these orphans as well as supporting them.
The mother of the orphans - i.e. the wife of the martyr - is an evident manifestation of the Hadith (Prophetic Tradition) I mentioned a while ago. 

I know many of the blessed and noble wives of martyrs, and I know how much they endured and sacrificed to protect these orphaned young men and girls and small sons and daughters in order to present them to this nation and people, and for them to carry new responsibilities.

The family, grandfathers, grandmothers and the larger family also come at equal balance, and I really do not want to put them in numerical order: the first, the second, the third... This is difficult because it varies from one case to another.

There are grandfathers who took this responsibility which at times might be even greater. There is no doubt that when the husband is martyred, there becomes a special responsibility and a joint responsibility.

I can say -upon our social follow up- that it is a complicated responsibility. But the grandfathers and wives -owing to their faithfulness- were able to raise up these generations.

Since its establishment, the Martyr's Institution had played a significant role, and here we must recall the good act taken by the first establisher of the Martyr's Institution branch in Lebanon - His Eminence Sayyed Issa Tabatabai (May Allah protect him), whom I always refer to as the affectionate, loving, softhearted father who works behind the scenes.

We remind of him today along with all the managers and officials who successively worked on running this Institution as well as all the brothers and sisters who worked in its administration, committees and agencies throughout these long years and gratitude goes to them all, not to mention the guardians (Kafil) who offered support and sustenance.

Topping these guardians was the greater father Imam Khomeini (May Allah sanctify his secret) - the establisher of the Martyr's Institution. This guardianship was carried on with His Eminence Leader Imam Khamenai (May Allah prolong his lifespan). This is in addition to the ongoing support from the Islamic Republic in Iran of which we are proud. 

It is an open support for human, social and jihadi guardianship which does not aim at distorting anyone's image. In addition to that, there is the generous support of the great number of guardians. The guardian (Kafil) is a conventional religious term. All throughout the history of the procession of the prophets (pbut) there were orphans' guardians: Zacharias (Zakariya) took care of the orphan Mariam (pbuh) as she was under his guardianship.

Allah had made Zachariah the guardian of Mariam. Abdulmutalib (May Allah have mercy on him) was the guardian of Mohammad (pbuh) and after him Abu Taleb (pbuh) was his guardian.

So this issue existed in religious and human culture since ancient times. I bear witness for guardians that they have a high degree of love, faithfulness, generosity and benediction. They supported to a great degree the projects of the Martyr's Institution, especially those that have to do with the martyrs' orphans all through these past years.

The policy or general trend, was that the martyrs' orphans remain in their homes among their families and not to go to boarding schools. Indeed that does not discredit boarding schools at all, and it is an inevitable choice in some living and social conditions, and they must be abundantly aided and supported. 

However from the psychological, educational and emotional perspectives, it is always stressed by divine codes and especially Islam as well as modern science that the son and daughter live under the wing of their mother and along with their brothers and sisters and enjoy the guardianship of their grandparents and the larger family. 

This was always the obsession, and all those whom I mentioned a while ago, joined efforts and cooperated so that this policy works. With the aid of the martyrs' wives - meaning the mothers of the orphans - the grandfathers, the grandmothers, the institution and the guardians, we could put this policy into action to a very great degree. Thus when we present today a generation of martyrs' orphans, we present a generation of young men and girls who possess all natural - even advanced - characteristics. 

This can easily be detected, where are these orphans - the sons and daughters of martyrs - who have reached this stage? What do they do? What are they offering to their community, their people and country? So we have got this excellent result: we have a generation of martyrs' sons and daughters who grow up, study, pass and graduate, work and get along normally in their path and in their lives.

I would like to add two other Hadiths to the one I recited at the beginning. They are both cited by the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) to stress that sponsorship, guardianship, educational care and financial support are a part of jihad and resistance. 

They are among the deeds which have a great status as regarded by Allah the Almighty and they have a grand reward on Judgment's Day.

The Prophet of Allah (pbuh) was narrated as saying: "Whoever supports three orphans is as a worshipper who prays all night long, and fasts during the day while unsheathing his sword for the sake of Allah (the worshipper fighter) and I will be with him in Heaven like two brothers as these two - and he pointed to the forefinger and the middle finger".

Imagine that the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) is telling everyone of us that whoever wants to have the status of the worshipper fighter and whoever wants to be my brother in Heaven has to support three orphans and not more. He did not demand much; he did not say ten or twenty or a thousand. This is a glad tiding made by the Prophet of Allah for all guardians.

There is another Tradition that has many blessings to be bestowed in the Hereafter.

The Prophet of Allah is indicating for us the way leading to personal worldly blessings as well. A man came to the Prophet of Allah and complained of his hardheartedness. The Prophet was then quoted as saying: "Would you like your heart to become soft and thus have your need fulfilled? Then have mercy on orphans and put your palm on their heads. Let him eat from your very food then your heart will become soft and you will have your need fulfilled." This is an educational path, while in this world; specialized modern sciences are still creeping in their primary stages. This Tradition is 1400 years old. This good tiding from the Prophet (pbuh) must be satisfactory for guardians and sponsors.

Another word for the sons and daughters...The policy of the Institution in the previous stage was the aid used to come from the guardian to a specific person. So and so provides for such and such orphan whether a boy or a girl. The brethrens in the Institution used to make a special relation between the guardian and the orphan whether visits, correspondence... Indeed this was pursuant to the wish of a great number of guardians. However we always make reviews - it is not that we only call on people to make reviews - in everything whether in politics, social work, cultural work, resistance, organization...

So we made a review some years ago and we came out with this outcome. So it's not the Institution alone which assumes the responsibility of this outcome. I am one of those who carried on this review and insisted on making this amendment to this effect: Let's make the guardianship with no names. There is no need for the person who wants to provide for an orphan to say I provide for so and so orphan. That's because at times and due to fame or being well-known in the media there won't be a sense of fairness. In fact there is no capability of being fair. There is rather lack and incapability in this perspective.

So sustenance might come for some orphans and not for others and this is unfair.

Second, we have concluded that from the educational, moral and psychological levels it is better that the orphan do not feel as if his guardian is begrudging him anything. Whoever provides for an orphan is working for this world and the Hereafter. 

When we support these orphans whether of martyrs or others, we are rather fulfilling some of the responsibilities we shoulder. So we found it more appropriate and sound that the project be modified in a way in which the guardian might provide for one, two or three orphans and leave it up to the Institution to allot and categorize the sustenance so as to achieve justice and observe all the moral, psychological and educational influences we want to preserve.

Thus I hope the ladies and gentlemen guardians would consider this policy God willing. This is also better for them because it is a kind of secret charity which makes man closer to Allah and the Hereafter than to worldly considerations.

I address the sons and daughters with a brief world. Your characteristic as the sons and daughters of martyrs is an important one. As a consequence, the responsibility is greater. Always when Allah grants characteristics He builds on that responsibilities.

When man's knowledge increases, his responsibilities increase. When his wealth increases, his responsibilities increase. When his control increases, his responsibilities increase. When his status among peoples grows, his responsibilities increase. Every additional specialty from Allah matches with additional responsibility. This is how the world is formed: "Today work and no account and tomorrow account and no work." Consequently, you have a greater responsibility because you belong to this pure, chase, sacrificing and giving group. 

Allah awards this group with the highest class. It is the class of the martyrs. Consequently, you are concerned in observing the honor of this belonging. Observing the honor of such belonging does not only mean not to commit what degrades this honor but also to do what asserts and prompts this honor of belonging. 

The goals of you martyr fathers and their cause and message are a responsibility on your shoulders. The path which your martyr fathers chose and observing this path are your responsibility beside that being a general responsibility. Our lord and tutor - the master of martyrs - Sayyed Abbass Musawi (May Allah reward him with Heaven) had left us a clear will. His will is to preserve the resistance. 

This is as well the will of all martyrs besides being the will of the master of the resistance martyrs. Every one of us is concerned in preserving this will. Consequently the most valuable will of our martyrs is to preserve the resistance. So receive your education and work and launch into life with the spirit of love, openness and responsibility and work. Be the generation which makes the expectations and goals of your martyr fathers come true.

Being an orphan - whether to born an orphan or to become later on an orphan - must not be an impediment before one's development and progress but rather a reason to achieve high ranks and levels.

We may draw examples from history: Mohammad bin Abdullah (pbuh) was born an orphan as his father was dead when he was given birth. After a short period of time, his mother died and he became double orphaned.

So he was an orphan who lost both his father and his mother. Still this orphan was sheltered by Allah, and his grandfather guarded him until he became the greatest creature and the Master of all prophets, messengers and beings.

Let's take a feminine example: Lady Mariam was an orphan. She lived under the wing of her mother and Zachariah guarded her. 

She developed until she became the Lady above the women of all nations, and Allah chose and preferred her. He chose her for such an important and lofty status and responsibility.
Not every woman can be in the status of receiving a word from Allah to become the mother of the Christ (pbuh). In our Islamic religious conception - as it was proven in modern sciences - the woman or the mother is not just a container. The mother is the true factory in which Allah Al Mighty creates a body and a spirit and genes and morals and everything.

From modern history, we take Imam Khomeini as an example. It is one of the wonders of fate that he was born an orphan after his father was killed as a martyr. Then after several years, his mother died and his elder brother became his guardian. This orphan however became the greatest personality and the maker of the greatest revolution in the 20th century. 

So orphanage is not an impediment and does not pose a problem before the will and determination of any human being. I tell the young men and girls and the families of martyrs, fathers of martyrs, mothers of martyrs and wives of martyrs: These martyrs, for 30 years, have been the most important symbols of this country and the nation. 

They are the best victory and history makers of this nation. They protected its dignity, honor and existence.

Through this ceremony I would like to tell you and everyone who is listening: These martyrs were most precious to us. We, as a resistance movement, have offered our precious fathers, sons, dear ones whether men, women or children. Every one of the martyrs' families or those who have an emotional or jihadi relation with the families of martyrs say that in this procession we have offered those who are most precious to us. Here we may vary pursuant to the nature of this relation. For example, I myself in this procession lost those who were most precious to me in the path of martyrdom and jihad for the sake of Allah: my teacher - Sayyed Abbass Al Musawi - and many dear brothers and the most precious among them were Hajj Imad Moghniyyeh. So every one of us feels this meaning and knows it. 

Thus, according to us, the resistance is not only an intellectual, cultural, jihadi or political project. This resistance is molded with our blood, sweat, the tears of our eyes, our sighs, our night awakenings, our toil and our sacrifices. 

Here I would like to say something to the whole world: The Resistance in which path and to achieve its goals we offered the most precious things we have has become the most precious thing for us and we will not allow anyone in the world - small or big - to dishonor it at all.
On the day of honoring their children, these martyrs have an address to the Lebanese people and the Arab and Islamic peoples not to begrudge anyone anything but to remind of Allah's blessings. They want to say: See what our blood had offered to this nation, this land, this people and this nation and act accordingly.

Assume your responsibilities. This is the message of the martyrs today. 

These martyrs are the essence of the resistance and its pure spirit, strong determination, endless giving, unbeatable heart, crowned hope and brilliant victory. 

For thirty years, their blood has foiled all great plots that threatened Lebanon, Palestine and the region since 1982. I do not really wish to repeat myself. I have often tackled in various occasions the scheme of 1982 for Lebanon and the region -which you all know. The Resistance thwarted this scheme. In 2000 the resistance delivered the deathblow to the most dangerous scheme for the region -namely the scheme of greater "Israel" - and it gave the final stroke for the greater "Israeli" scheme when it imposed on the "Israelis" to pull out from our land unconditionally.

In 2006, the project was the neo great Middle East. It was the US project for which achievement the US administration spent billions of dollars and mobilized the greatest political and media machineries in human history. I do not mean Lebanon. I am talking about the region. For this project, wars were waged in the region, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Other countries like Iran and Syria were threatened by war. The interests of international, regional and international forces met in this project.

It was the resistance which put an end to this project in 2006, thanks to the chaste pure blood of these young men who were 18, 19, 20 and 25 years old along with the wounded, martyrs, captives, fighters and noble, kind giving and tolerant masses. 

Consequently, this resistance through its endless sacrifices, faithfulness, offerings and very existence and through its victories and achievements also could reserve for itself an advanced status in Lebanon, in the region and in the world.

It is a moral spiritual status which expresses the extent of respect, esteem and recognition. The resistance of Hizbullah particularly could reserve this status and pass across all obstacles. 

The Islamic resistance is respected by Christians. It is the resistance which comprises overwhelming Shiite masses and is respected by Sunnites. It is a Lebanese resistance which is respected by the rest of Arabs. It is the Arab resistance which is respected by all non-Arab Muslims, the resistance which is respected by every oppressed and persecuted people in the Third World and all over the world as it represents strength, hope and is a sample to be followed. 

The resistance has not gained this status for free or through advertisement, speeches, promotions, overbidding and slogans. It was rather gained through blood, sacrifices, tears, patience, achievements and great victories.

It could reserve for itself and for Lebanon an advanced status in the regional equation. This is unprecedented. Lebanon has always been a receiver. The owners of the theory of "The wars on others on our land" say that Lebanon is a receiver rather than an actor.

If we used the term receiver we would be using respectable terms. This resistance, which does not mean Hizbullah only but also all the resistance fighters and all those who support it, is the only resistance in the history of Lebanon (I say in the history of Lebanon because I have been reading about the history of Lebanon for several months) which makes Lebanon in the heart of the regional equation. It makes Lebanon active, present and an influential player and not a manipulated receiver.

This was not achieved by the theory of Lebanon's strength in its weakness, through flopping in others' projects nor through being strong by others. Brothers and sisters! There is a difference between being strong by others and sustaining support from others. Syria assisted the resistance in Lebanon. Iran supported the resistance in Lebanon. Many of the noble backed the resistance in Lebanon. But it is the resistance in Lebanon which fought. It is you who fought, endured and made the achievement. Thus it is the resistance which gave Lebanon this statue quo. 

Unfortunately, the enemies of Lebanon appreciate what Lebanon possesses more than some of the Lebanese. Thus they conspire and scheme against Lebanon to snatch this thing which is possessed by Lebanon. This possession makes Lebanon steady in face of all the quakes and cyclones that winded or might wind over the region. This possession makes it present in the regional equation. This possession makes Lebanon respectable before the whole world.

It is not only those delegations come to Lebanon but also if you are welcomed abroad it is because there is a resistance in Lebanon as well as a resisting people and a resisting will. I would like to stress again that I do not mean by resistance a specific party but rather all of this presence, all of these masses, all of this people and all of this will.

They know very well the value of this possession. They may bargain on gas in the sea and agree with you over a settlement. They might bargain with you on oil in the sea as well. But they can never bargain on the Resistance. They will never bargain on you being strong, steady, prideful and high-headed in confronting the enemy and in confronting those who categorize themselves in the very camp with the enemy. Still before our dear people, you are humble.

You make concessions. You are the loving and the caring. They know what you possess. Thus they want to snatch it from you. They tried in July War (God willing we will speak about that in the ceremony which will be held for the occasion. We had the intention to hold the celebration on October 30th. We usually used to celebrate on August 14th but this year it comes in the month of Ramadan. We did not really wish to bother people.

We discussed the issue and chose July 30th which comes between July and August. We preserve in this date the name of July while being about to usher into August. However and in compliance with the wish of His Excellency The President of the Republic and because on Friday it seems senior guests will come to this country - and we are a hospitable country - the president has a program for these senior guests and he wants the media to follow with it with much interest. Thus we accepted to postpone the celebration until Tuesday August 3rd instead of Friday July 30th. Then we will talk more.

But in that war they wanted to crush the resistance and not to disarm the resistance, nor drive the resistance away from south Litany nor make the resistance incapable of firing rockets. No! Everyone, whether big or small, knows that. This country is really comic. There is one point which is known by everyone and which everyone tackles in councils and builds on it scenarios. But when you come to discuss with them this very issue they would say: Who said so? This is not true." Everyone knew that the aim of July war was to crush the resistance but they failed to do so. They came in July War to crush the resistance but it rather crushed their arrogance and foiled their scheme. 

It's clear that the scheme then was to distort the image of the resistance. What's their problem with Hizbullah? Their problem with Hizbullah is not that it is a political party. We are accepted as a political party. Europeans, Asians and Arabs meet with us. There is not any meeting between us and some people because we do not want to meet with them and not vice versa. Even the Americans made many attempts to meet with us but we did not meet with them.

There are political analysts who see now that there is a debate in the USA as they want to have talks with our party to spare efforts. They tried in 2000 to have talks with us but we stopped the dialogue. We stopped the dialogue because we believe that America is "Israel". It supports, adopts, defends, arms and invests "Israel". It's America which waged the war in July. "Israel" executed it. 

Anyway, we are accepted as a political party. We have our mps in the parliament and our ministers in the cabinet. We are accepted in political life and the national dialogue and so on.
The problem with them then is not that Hizbullah is a political party. On the contrary, even the Americans wish that the party becomes totally political. This exists in their courtesies. Their problem with Hizbullah isn't either that Hizbullah is an Islamic movement. No, there are some Islamic movements which have ties and friendship relations with America. 

The problem with Hizbullah is that it's a resistance. The problem with Hizbullah and the parties which follow its sample is that it refuses to have its country Lebanon weak, it refuses to have a fake protection for its country and it refuses to have anyone in the world imposing on it humiliating conditions.

This is their problem with Hizbullah. It's because it refuses a US-"Israeli" settlement which wants to confiscate the land and deny a whole people - millions of Palestinians - the right to return to their homes and fields to live in dignity. 

This is their problem with Hizbullah, and this has no settlement. Here I tell you: It can't be settled. Thus the war on the Resistance will continue in all its forms. Every one of us has heard - we do not invent anything - Feltman himself saying so. He was obliged to admit that before the Congress which questions him and holds him responsible. He said: Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent in Lebanon. Where did you spend it? What was the result? Now did not the Americans confess that their project in Lebanon failed?

They flopped, and there is pleasure when someone acknowledges his enemy. When "Israelis" and Americans are defeated, they tell you we lost and where they were defeated. Indeed in Lebanon and in the Arab world, no one loses, no one flops, and no one is defeated. Everyone gains victory. This is a positive point as far as our enemy is concerned. For example, in July War, "Israel" unanimously said that it was defeated and that it lost and was disappointed.

Its politicians, military men, people, parties, media, government, Knesset, press and religious men unanimously met on that. However, in the Arab world, how are we to acknowledge that there is a resistance in Lebanon which defeated "Israel"? In as much as this is embarrassing to "Israel", it is embarrassing to some Arabs. "Israelis" accepted to be embarrassed and are making a review. Still some Arabs are not ready to be embarrassed and to make a review. So they resorted to the new topic which is distorting the image (of Hizbullah).

Feltman said they spent 500 million dollars to distort the image of Hizbullah. What was the outcome? Now I would like to answer because we want to build on that and say why we are not afraid on ourselves or on our image. However, we are afraid on the country and on environment which some want to evoke in the country. 

Indeed the result was but failure. This is not the first time. Since 1982 - if you went back in history - you would see what used to be written in America, Europe and the world and even in the Arab world. It's not that we are being whipped in the world for four years. Since we were born we are being whipped. Since 1982 we are being whipped and our image, reputation and dignity are being offended. However then we hadn't the capabilities to defend ourselves. There were no television, no radio station, no internet and no Arab satellite even.

The status of controlling the media was limited and centralized. However the circumstances are different now. America did not spend 500 million dollars only over 28 years. It spent hundreds of millions of dollars to distort the image of the resistance in Lebanon and in Palestine. What was the outcome?

I do not have to say more. The Americans carried out polls in the Arab and Islamic world. Always the resistance came in the first rank, the symbols of the resistance in the region ranked the first and the resistance presidents in the region are always first. This is the mood of our region, peoples and nation.

So they want to put off the light of Allah with the mouths. They spent to put off this light hundreds of thousands if not billions of dollars and are still spending. However, they always had counter outcomes. Today they want to usher from another gate, and this is what have moved us to stir this cause in the past few days. They want to usher via the general prosecutor and the STL and to exploit a noble, humanistic, emotional cause which is a point of consensus in Lebanon, the Arab world, the Islamic world and the whole world - meaning the cause of Premier martyr Rafic Hariri. 

Much was said, and I am not in the status of answering anyone. I will only continue what I intended to say from the very beginning. That's because from the very first day, I organized my ideas: The Day of the wounded, the press conference, the day of honoring the martyrs' children, July War anniversary and the wrap up will be a press conference before the commence of the month of Ramadan. Expect it then before August 11th.

I also organized what I want to tackle on this cause because the country can not tolerate saying all what I have to say all at once. Since I am concerned for this country and because Hizbullah is concerned for this country, I will say what I want to say step by step so that we may secure the protection of the country and the resistance and not for any other reason.

Everyone in Lebanon wants to know the truth about the assassination of Premier martyr Rafiq Hariri. This has nothing to do with sects, parties or regions.

This case enjoys national consensus. Consequently, we all back tackling this issue again and again. Everyone in Lebanon unanimously agrees on that. It is not a familial issue. Here I say: No one called on the family of Premier Martyr Rafiq Hariri, neither on his kind wife nor on his honored sons or daughters to discard with the truth or neglect it or forget all about this file. Never!

They will not do that, and no one called on them to do that either. The cause of Premier martyr Rafiq Hariri is not anymore a familial cause so that his family gives it up or not. It is the cause of a family and a people. In the press conference, I said that everyone in Lebanon and the region paid for the repercussions of the assassination with different ratios. We all want to know the truth first, and we all want to bring about justice. When we know the truth, I tell you that we from now call for bringing about justice and not for an amnesty. We are not overbidding. We have a view over what took place and over what might take place. Thus all the Lebanese must cooperate and muster efforts.

The origin of the argument in Lebanon over the STL and prior to it over the international investigation committee from the very beginning is as follows: Are we to trust an investigation committee which is constituted by the Americans, the British government, the so and so states and which comprises officials from the intelligence apparatuses which are closely related to the "Israel" Mossad to deal with such a serious cause? This was our question from the very beginning: Does such a committee accomplish the goal or not?

Does the track which the investigation committee took lead to the truth and consequently to justice or not? That's because there are two stages: Justice is based on knowing the truth, and anything based on anything other than the truth is but injustice, an aggression and a double assassination to Premier martyr Rafiq Hariri because it neglects the killers and punishes the innocent.

Consequently, the important and primary stage is to know the truth. Now was the conduct and performance of the investigation committee before forming the STL and turning it to a general prosecutor a conduct that would lead for knowing the truth?

No, and I have my evidences and proofs which I will talk about. The committee was not qualified to reach the truth. As we always used to say, what leads to the truth is a neutral, technical, transparent and scientific investigation. Such an investigation with such characteristics puts forward all the assumptions over who might be the murderer of Premier martyr Rafiq Hariri. We make a list of whoever has the motive, interest and capability to do that.

So we have a group of assumptions. Work on them. However the investigation committee never worked as such. I am saying this to everyone who respected knowing the truth and I believe called for knowing the truth. The investigation committee never adopted this technique. It rather from the very beginning headed to one assumption. In investigation we put all assumptions and investigate but what they did is that they set an accusation and issued a sentence and then went in search for evidences. No one works as such. Even more, they are still working as such.

If we did not reach the truth there will not be justice but rather oppression. We are calling for justice which is manifested in punishing the killers of Premier Rafiq Hariri. As for punishing who did not kill him, is but the peak of oppression. This is the point of argument and discussion. Do you really want to know the truth? We always said that we are ready to cooperate. Still is the conduct of some political forces in Lebanon, the international investigation committee, the current general prosecutor and the STL the conduct of someone who wants to know the truth? I have two evidences: First the false witnesses and second those who fabricated them.

So you, the general prosecutor, come on and summon the fake witnesses and try them for misleading the investigation. 

First, there is no argument in the country that the witnesses were fake. This issue is over and no one argues over it. The fake witnesses whose names are circulated are four. The one who is still concealed, did not confess and is still carrying on in the game is Mohammad Zuheir Assideeq. As for the three other witnesses they made their statements disregarding where they are now. So you general prosecutor summon and interrogate with them. He does not want to do that under the pretext that that is not among the competences of the STL and the investigation. Isn't it among the competences of the investigation to know the truth?

Isn't it among the competences of the investigation to know who misled the investigation? Isn't one of the ways of knowing the truth is to search for those who fabricated the fake witnesses to know whether they are related to the killers or not? The whole world moves as such except for the investigation committee. What about the Lebanese judiciary? It says this is not our competence as well. What about the Lebanese security apparatuses? They answer this is not our competence.

The fake witnesses misled the investigation for four years and they based on that what they did base and still it is not anyone's competence to question or investigate with them or punish and hold them accountable! Is this justice? Does anyone who seeks justice act as such? Does anyone who seeks knowing act as such either?

Did the fake witness act on their own and gave their testimonies? No. At least three other than Zuheir Assideeq said in press conferences and they have records that say: So and so came to us. So and so gave us money. So and so took us to such and such apartment. So and so told us what to say. They are all Lebanese. Moreover, foreign officials in the international investigation committee partook in fabricating these witnesses and instructing them, and they themselves confessed of that.

Is not it the right of the Lebanese people and all those who loved Premier martyr Rafiq Hariri to demand summoning those who fabricated the fake witnesses to mislead the investigation so that we know why they did that? Why did this mislead the investigation for four years? Who are they? Disclose them. Hold them accountable. If you don't want to hold them accountable and to punish them, at least fire them from your lines. But this is not the case; one of these fake witnesses is still living on your money and with your assistance and under your protection. Even more, those who fabricated the fake witnesses are still enjoying protection and care.

Are we to know the truth as such? Some might show up and say the Sayyed gave a tense speech to make the country tense. Well does saying the truth make the country tense? Whoever has the logic to discuss with me this question is welcome. Did these witnesses come from the skies or someone fabricated them? Who did fabricate them? Let's go and interrogate him? Let's ask him why did he fabricate them? That will lead us somewhere. Won't that help in knowing the truth? Do that then. Why don't you do that? I am not asking questions and demanding answers. I know the answers. I am raising those questions to push people to ask questions. I do not call for anything so that it comes true but rather to bring to light the evidences. Do you want me to be more open?

Today there is a discussion in the country. Today Premier Salim Al Hoss, whom everyone respects and who was harmed among those who were harmed in the past four or five years, put forth a call. He has his own classification and distribution of responsibilities. I respect anything which Premier Salim Al Hoss says whether I agree with him on this classification or not. However the idea is correct and I support it. Hizbullah supports it.

It's natural that when there is a resistance which is to be aggressed against and through which a door will be opened for staging an aggression against Lebanon that the government assumes its responsibilities. This is the representation of Premier Salim Al Hoss or the National Dialogue. I support that though I did not call for the meeting. However Premier Al Hoss calls for the meeting.

I am saying that is good and we respond. If the government was called upon to discuss this issue we will respond. If the National Dialogue called for that we will respond. We will respond because we are concerned about the country and the resistance. We are saying, dear people, there is a great conspiracy woven against this country and against the resistance. Let's discuss this issue then but not to search for a way out.

I said in the press conference and here I am saying again: If anyone in this world wants to meet with us to discuss with us on the ground that someone from us is accused and we want to search for a way out, I won't meet with anyone. If anyone wants to meet with us to discuss with us on the ground that someone from us is accused and we want to reach a settlement, we won't meet with him. We meet with anyone rather to discuss the fact that something is being prepared. So let's see how we may confront that on the basis of righteousness, justice, law, responsibility and general interest and care.

We are then ready. We are the side which is most concerned for this country, to have a national unity government and to achieve stability and security. Thus if such a conference was to be held by the government we will recommend our ministers to attend. If the National Dialogue is to hold such a conference we will recommend brother Abu Hassan (Mohammad Raad) to attend. If you want cooperation, one of the serious conditions is to head for forming a Lebanese committee. What have we to do with Belmar, the international investigation and the STL? Put them aside. We are Lebanese.

Aren't we a side against which an accusation is being woven? Isn't the accusation made against three members of Hizbullah? What the "Israeli" media is saying is true. It meets with our information. The "Israeli" information stems from the heart of the investigation, Belmar's office and the STL. The very information which "Israeli" media tackled few days ago was tackled by security officials in Lebanon: In the first indictment they will demand three.

In the second indictment which comes after a while they will demand five. In the third indictment, they will demand twenty and in the fourth indictment they will demand fifty. Who are you playing this game on, and whom are you laughing at? In the past, once Condoleezza Rice told the "Israelis" to remain silent because they are devastating (the US schemes) in Lebanon. It seems that they can't do that now.

They are speaking out their information. It's the "Israelis" and not I who are adopting the information. However much of what they are saying meet with our information. We have information and not analysis or press talk. One day all these facts will be revealed.

What are we recommending now? Form a Lebanese committee whether a parliamentary, judicial, ministerial, security or a mixed committee and let it summon the three witnesses and bring about Assideeq wherever he be. That's because they know where he is as they pay for his transportation, his salary and house rent and they provide him with protection. So they can reach him. Let them meet with them and ask them who told you to do so? Who instructed you? Who fabricated you? Who took you to the investigation? When you return we will listen from you to what took place and the new information they provided you with which you must speak it off as the rope is lying is short.

So if we really wish to do that with a serious prelude, come on this is the prelude. This is not a condition. I am not talking about conditions so that we cooperate in the country and defend the country and the resistance. We have no conditions; we rather have our presentations and ideas. Whoever wishes to prove that he is careful for knowing the truth and for establishing justice must start from here. When he looks at the faces of the politicians, media men, security men, judiciary men who are accomplices in fabricating the witnesses, he must not bear looking at their faces.

This is the normal starting point. We are careful for this country. We are open to whatever protects this country and this resistance and preserves the country's unity, stability and security. We along with all the Lebanese want to know the truth. We along with all the Lebanese want to establish justice. However we do not allow distorting the image of the resistance which is our most precious procession and for forming this resistance we offered the most precious dear ones. This is the trust and the will of the martyrs. You and we God willing will preserve this will and trust and carry on this path. 

Our regards for all mothers of martyrs, sons and daughters of martyrs and to the audience, the generous guardians and the people of kindness and giving. May Allah make you all prosper. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.