Lebanon president rejects call to disband Hizbollah

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, an ally of Syria,
dismissed on Thursday a UN suggestion that Hizbollah guerrillas merge into
the army as a ploy to weaken Lebanon against its enemy Israel.
A UN report obtained by Reuters this week, asks Hizbollah to disarm and
Syria and Lebanon to demarcate an Israeli-occupied border area, noting that
other Lebanese militias merged into the army after the 1975-1990 civil war.
The report, prepared by UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, was the latest into
progress on implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 of 2004,
which demands foreign troops leave Lebanon and all militias in the country
disband.
"Such a proposal is not a new one and it only aims to end the role of the
Lebanese resistance and Lebanon's capacity to challenge and face the Israeli
occupation," he told reporters.
"I wonder if what is taking place now aims to take Lebanon back to the
conditions it lived through in 1982! Does the stability we live in today not
please some actors who want to strike it to serve their interest?"
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and entered the capital Beirut to drive
Palestinian fighters out of the country, but later pulled back to a southern
border strip.
Lebanese fighters fought the Israelis, and Hizbollah, the only Lebanese
militia to keep its weapons after the civil war, has so far refused to give
up the arms that helped it end the 22-year occupied of southern Lebanon in
2000.
Hizbollah has vowed to liberate the Shebaa Farms border strip, which the
United Nations considers occupied Syrian land.
Damascus, which entered Lebanon in 1976 to quell the civil war, pulled its
troops out a year ago after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Many Lebanese blamed the murder on Syria, but
Damascus has denied any role.

White House Release on Bush-Siniora's meeting

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 18, 2006
President Bush Welcomes Prime Minister Siniora of Lebanon to the White House
The South Lawn
11:51 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's been my honor to welcome the Prime Minister of Lebanon to the Oval Office. Prime Minister, thanks for coming.

PRIME MINISTER SINIORA: Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, we just had a really interesting discussion. I told the Prime Minister that the United States strongly supports a free and independent and sovereign Lebanon. We took great joy in seeing the Cedar Revolution. We understand that the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the street to express their desire to be free required courage, and we support the desire of the people to have a government responsive to their needs and a government that is free, truly free.
We talked about the need to make sure that there is a full investigation on the death of former Prime Minister Hariri, and we'll work with the international community to see that justice is done. We talked about the great tradition of Lebanon to serve as a model of entrepreneurship and prosperity. Beirut is one of the great international cities, and I'm convinced that if Lebanon is truly free and independent and democratic, that Beirut will once again regain her place as a center of financial and culture and the arts.
There's no question in my mind that Lebanon can serve as a great example for what is possible in the broader Middle East; that out of the tough times the country has been through will rise a state that shows that it's possible for people of religious difference to live side-by-side in peace; to show that it's possible for people to put aside past histories to live together in a way that the people want, which is, therefore, to be peace and hope and opportunity.
And so, Mr. Prime Minister, we're really glad you're here. I want to thank you for the wonderful visit we've had, and welcome you here to the White House.

PRIME MINISTER SINIORA: Thank you very much, Mr. President. I would like to really thank President Bush for giving us the opportunity to be here at the White House and to discuss matters of mutual interest to the United States and Lebanon, and matters that has to do with the developments that have been taking place in Lebanon.
For the past over 16 or 18 months, Lebanon has been undergoing major changes. And Lebanon has really been committing itself that we want the change to happen to -- in a democratic and a peaceful manner, but at the same time, to really stay course -- on course; that we are there to meet the expectations of the people to have a united, liberal, free country, and, at the same time, prosperous economy.
So that are the matters that we have discussed with President Bush, and I really would like to seize this opportunity to thank President Bush and the United States for the support that they have been extending to Lebanon throughout the past periods, and with all the resolutions that were taken since the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri. The United States has been of great support to Lebanon.
I am really convinced that President Bush and the United States will stand beside Lebanon to have Lebanon stay as a free, democratic, united, and sovereign state. And the United States is really of great importance in this regard, whether this can be done directly or indirectly. So I would like once more to express our great thanks for President Bush and the United States for this.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. (Applause.)

END 11:55 A.M. EDT  

Rice: Lebanon's Biggest Problem is Hizbullah

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the biggest problem that Lebanon is facing now is Hizbullah and its relationship with Iran and Syria, An Nahar newspaper reported Thursday.
Rice said although Washington is giving the Lebanese government time to resolve internal problems through national dialogue talks, it is still adamant on its demand for the disarmament of all militias in the country, namely Hizbullah, in abidance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559.

Speaking to the House Appropriations Committee, Rice said the Party of God's ties with Tehran and Damascus "are the biggest problem that the Lebanese are facing at this time."

She said the U.S. is concerned about the role that Iran and Syria are playing in Lebanon and the alliance between the two countries.

"Syria is assuming the role of helper to Iran in more than one part of the world, especially in Lebanon," she said.

The top U.S. diplomat said Washington is cooperating with Paris to ensure the implementation of Resolution 1559, that not only calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, but also for disbanding all militias.

The first part of the resolution was applied when Syria, the main powerbroker in Lebanon, withdrew its forces from the country in April 2005, ending nearly 30 years of military presence. It pulled out under international pressure and in the aftermath of mass protests that followed the assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri in February last year.

However, Damascus is still accused of interfering in the neighboring country through its relations with its Lebanese allies including Hizbullah. The group also enjoys strong ties with Iran, its main financial backer.

Recent press reports have said that Iran has set up a sophisticated intelligence gathering operation in southern Lebanon to identify targets in northern Israel in the event of a military confrontation over its controversial nuclear program. According to Israeli military officers, Iranian Revolutionary Guards travel regularly to southern Lebanon to help train Hizbullah fighters.

Lebanese anti-Syrian politicians have accused Hizbullah of wanting to maintain its weapons in order to serve Iran and Syria's regional interests.

The group's disarmament is the next topic of discussion at the dialogue talks, after participants hold their last session regarding the fate of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud on April 28.

Rice did not respond to a question about whether there were Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the South.

She said that the Lebanese government is going through a transitional phase under the leadership of a "very delicate government formed after elections strengthened Hizbullah's position in parliament."

After legislative elections last year, the Shiite group gained 14 seats in the 128-member parliament. Party members are also heading two ministries for the first time.

Rice said Washington is giving time for the dialogue talks to "strengthen the democratic forces at the expense of those loyal to Syria."

"But I want to assure you that we have not lost sight of our goal with regards to what Iran is doing in Lebanon. This is probably the worst example of Iranian intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign country," Rice said.

source: naharnet

UN's Gambari: Hizbullah is an obstacle to 1559

 BEIRUT: United Nations Under Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari said it will be hard to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1559 as long as Hizbullah considers itself a "resistance."
"The UN is trying to fully implement Resolution 1559 which calls for the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias but the problem is that Hizbullah considers itself a resistance," Gambari told the Egypt-based Middle East News Agency over the weekend.
Resolution 1559 is among the topics Lebanon's top political leaders have been discussing during their ongoing national dialogue.
"The United Nations praised Lebanon's national dialogue and all participants in these talks welcomed the organization's support," Gambari told the agency.
During the dialogue, the March 14 Forces have been aggressively lobbying for the ousting of President Emile Lahoud and the decommissioning of Hizbullah's weapons, while pro-Syrian parties relentlessly reject such demands.
But leaders will not start discussing Hizbullah's arms before the presidential issue, so far deadlocked, has been solved.
However, top politicians have succeeded in reaching a decision to establish diplomatic relations with Damascus, which Gambari deemed as crucial to solve all pending issues between the two neighboring countries.
"It is very necessary to start talks between Lebanon and Syria to solve a number of issues including setting up the Lebanese identity of the Shebaa Farms, demarcating the borders and establishing diplomatic relations," Gambari said.
Gambari, who arrived in the region to attend the Arab summit held in Khartoum last week, was speaking from Egypt where he is holding talks with Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Ghaith.
In Khartoum he met with Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora. He said their talks focused on the Arab support for the Syrian-Lebanese talks.
"We discussed the contributions of Arab countries mainly Saudi Arabia and Egypt to support the Lebanese-Syrian dialogue," said Gambari.
Gambari further added that the UN is helping Lebanon to re-establish its security and stability and uncover the truth behind the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"The UN role in Lebanon is to support all national efforts exerted to re-establish the country's security and stability and uncover the truth behind Hariri's assassination as well as back formation of an international tribunal," Gambari said.
The political and security situation in Lebanon have deteriorated following Hariri's assassination with a string of bombs attacks on prominent politicians and journalists.
 source: Daily Star