Sayyed Nasrallah: Resistance arms always to defends sacred country
Source: Daily Star, 17-02-2006
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed on Thursday that slain former Premier Rafik Hariri told him during one of their meetings that "as long as there is no settlement in the region, then the resistance should not be disarmed."
Nasrallah was speaking in front of hundreds of supporters at the UNESCO Palace on Thursday during the commemoration of two of Hizbullah`s former leaders, Sayyed Abbas Mussawi and Sheikh Ragheb Harb, who were assassinated by "Israel" in the early 1990s.
"The martyr premier (Hariri) told me, and there are witnesses to this, that the resistance's weapons `are not linked to freeing Shibaa farms, but to the settlement in the region,`" said Nasrallah.
He added that Hariri told him: "When we reach this settlement, I will come to you and discuss the issue of the resistance's weapons. If you agree to disarm, then fine, if not then I will resign and leave the country because I am not ready for another Algeria."
During the commemoration of Hariri's assassination on Tuesday, many of the March 14 forces - notably Druze MP Walid Jumblatt - attacked the resistance, saying it is a militia and that it should disarm.
Thursday's commemoration was an opportunity for Nasrallah to reply to the attacks of March 14 forces members who gave fiery speeches on Tuesday.
"The language of cursing and shouting doesn't build a country. The resistance's arms were always to fight for this sacred country which makes these arms sacred," he said.
"As for the weapons which fought in the alleys and in neighborhoods of the civil war, these are not sacred," he said, in clear reference to the fights of civil war leaders Jumblatt and Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea.
"The speeches given on February 14 will lead the country to another civil war."
"Some of March 14 forces never supported the resistance since the "Israeli" invasion in 1982. We don`t want to bring back the past, but they have put us in a situation where the resistance which fought for the freedom of this country had to resort to examples from the past to reveal the lies which are spread by some to mislead the public.
"The accusations against the resistance and the claims that Shibaa farms are not Lebanese which we witnessed on Tuesday are far from the Ministerial statement and the Taif Accord itself."
Nasrallah also defended Hizbullah`s pact of two weeks ago with Free Patriotic Movement Leader MP Michel Aoun.
"Many criticized and mocked our agreement. I say it is a good thing to be able to bring together two parties that were apart, with both making concessions to reach common ground," said Nasrallah.
He added that if everyone walked this path instead of accusing and cursing each other, Lebanon would be "stronger and more secure."
"Our agreement with Aoun didn`t attack the Taif Accord as many said. It had everything stated in the Taif except for the word Taif. The only crime we committed was to meet and agreed with the FPM.
"The March 14 forces attacked this agreement the very next day, saying that the resistance`s weapons have lost national consensus support."
Nasrallah mocked the notion, saying: "I wonder, was there ever a national consensus to lose?" He also said that Hizbullah is ready to go into dialogue with anyone and everyone, without any preset conditions.
Nasrallah joked about the Shibaa farms, saying neither the Syrians, nor "Israelis", nor the Palestinians have laid claim to the farms.
"Now we have some Lebanese (namely Jumblatt) saying they aren`t Lebanese," Nasrallah said. "What are they then? I think we should add them to the Arab League and call it the Arab Republic of Shibaa Farms."
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed on Thursday that slain former Premier Rafik Hariri told him during one of their meetings that "as long as there is no settlement in the region, then the resistance should not be disarmed."
Nasrallah was speaking in front of hundreds of supporters at the UNESCO Palace on Thursday during the commemoration of two of Hizbullah`s former leaders, Sayyed Abbas Mussawi and Sheikh Ragheb Harb, who were assassinated by "Israel" in the early 1990s.
"The martyr premier (Hariri) told me, and there are witnesses to this, that the resistance's weapons `are not linked to freeing Shibaa farms, but to the settlement in the region,`" said Nasrallah.
He added that Hariri told him: "When we reach this settlement, I will come to you and discuss the issue of the resistance's weapons. If you agree to disarm, then fine, if not then I will resign and leave the country because I am not ready for another Algeria."
During the commemoration of Hariri's assassination on Tuesday, many of the March 14 forces - notably Druze MP Walid Jumblatt - attacked the resistance, saying it is a militia and that it should disarm.
Thursday's commemoration was an opportunity for Nasrallah to reply to the attacks of March 14 forces members who gave fiery speeches on Tuesday.
"The language of cursing and shouting doesn't build a country. The resistance's arms were always to fight for this sacred country which makes these arms sacred," he said.
"As for the weapons which fought in the alleys and in neighborhoods of the civil war, these are not sacred," he said, in clear reference to the fights of civil war leaders Jumblatt and Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea.
"The speeches given on February 14 will lead the country to another civil war."
"Some of March 14 forces never supported the resistance since the "Israeli" invasion in 1982. We don`t want to bring back the past, but they have put us in a situation where the resistance which fought for the freedom of this country had to resort to examples from the past to reveal the lies which are spread by some to mislead the public.
"The accusations against the resistance and the claims that Shibaa farms are not Lebanese which we witnessed on Tuesday are far from the Ministerial statement and the Taif Accord itself."
Nasrallah also defended Hizbullah`s pact of two weeks ago with Free Patriotic Movement Leader MP Michel Aoun.
"Many criticized and mocked our agreement. I say it is a good thing to be able to bring together two parties that were apart, with both making concessions to reach common ground," said Nasrallah.
He added that if everyone walked this path instead of accusing and cursing each other, Lebanon would be "stronger and more secure."
"Our agreement with Aoun didn`t attack the Taif Accord as many said. It had everything stated in the Taif except for the word Taif. The only crime we committed was to meet and agreed with the FPM.
"The March 14 forces attacked this agreement the very next day, saying that the resistance`s weapons have lost national consensus support."
Nasrallah mocked the notion, saying: "I wonder, was there ever a national consensus to lose?" He also said that Hizbullah is ready to go into dialogue with anyone and everyone, without any preset conditions.
Nasrallah joked about the Shibaa farms, saying neither the Syrians, nor "Israelis", nor the Palestinians have laid claim to the farms.
"Now we have some Lebanese (namely Jumblatt) saying they aren`t Lebanese," Nasrallah said. "What are they then? I think we should add them to the Arab League and call it the Arab Republic of Shibaa Farms."
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