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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| MPs call for expulsion of Hezbollah from Lebanon parliament |
| 2008-02-29 |
| Lebanese politicians are calling for Hezbollah, the radical Lebanese militia, to be expelled from parliament following claims that terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyeh was a senior member of the organization’s governing council. Lebanese security officials investigating Mughniyeh’s activities prior to his assassination in a car bomb attack in Damascus earlier this month have uncovered evidence that Mughniyeh used a pseudonym to conceal his membership of Hezbollah’s elite Shura Council. Although Hezbollah is widely believed in Western intelligence circles to be involved in terrorism, the organization insists it is a legitimate political party, and emerged as one of the main opposition parties following Lebanon’s 2005 elections. It is currently blocking attempts by the mainstream Lebanese political parties to elect a new president. Prior to his death it was widely known that Mughniyeh, one of the world’s most deadly terrorists, had close ties to Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, and had advised him on a variety of security issues, including the tactics used by the militia during the 2006 Hezbollah-inspired war with Israel. But Lebanese security officials have now uncovered evidence that Mughniyeh was for many years a member of Hezbollah’s seven-man Shura Council, and played an active role in formulating the organization’s political agenda, as well as advising on security-related issues. A Lebanese report claims that Mughniyeh used the pseudonym “Jawad Nur A-Din” to conceal his identity at Hezbollah political meetings. Hezbollah officials have declined to give any specific biographical details about Mr A-Din except to say that he is one of the leading commanders of the Islamic resistance and a close ally of Mr Nasrallah. Claims that Mughniyeh was a key political strategist for Hezbollah yesterday prompted calls by mainstream Lebanese politicians for the organization to be expelled from the parliament. “This proves what we have said all along about Hezbollah, that it is a terror group, not a political party,” said a leading Christian politician who asked not to be named. “Hezbollah has no interest in parliamentary democracy, and it has no place in the parliament.” Hezbollah, which has close ties to Syria and Iran, is deeply involved with opposition attempts to prevent the election of an anti-Syrian president. Lebanese security officials believe Mughniyeh may have been involved in plotting the assassinations of a number of anti-Syrian politicians who have recently been killed in a succession of car bomb attacks in Beirut, including the murder of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. |
| Posted by:Fred |