(Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Hezbollah rejected negotiations, or signing of any treaty with Israel, following reports that Israeli officials are exploring the possibility of reaching a nonaggression pact with Lebanon, local Daily Star reported Wednesday.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Hoballah told the local newspaper that Lebanon refused to negotiate or sign any treaty with Israel, saying that "Lebanon has the right to liberate its occupied territories of Shebaa farms, Kafar shuba hills and Ghajar village, and to protect its sovereignty against Israeli aggressions."
Both Lebanon and Hezbollah sources denied having any information that Israeli officials were trying to reach a long-term belligerence pact with Lebanon, the daily said. However, Hezbollah spokesman Hussien Rahal said earlier that his party has no comment on the Israeli report, and it would be studied.
On Monday, Israeli media said that Israeli foreign ministry officials are exploring a possible long-term non-belligerence pact with Lebanon that could stop future hostilities between the two countries. The prospective agreement, according to the report, would be bilateral and include a demarcation of Lebanese-Israeli border, as well as a decrease in Hezbollah arsenal with more Lebanese army deployment near south of the Litani River. In return, Israel would stop violating Lebanese airspace and establish a security mechanism of coordination with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, the report added.
However, Israeli head of foreign ministry's political planning section Eran Etzion said Monday that any deal with Lebanon would have to follow a comprehensive peace agreement with Syria. Israel and Syria have been engaged since May in indirect talks, sponsored by Turkey.
Lebanon and Israel have never had any direct and formal relations. Prime Minister Fouad Seniora was quoted as saying that Lebanon will be the last Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11162 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#2
How about, "You will sit down and we'll discuss how you're going to leave Lebanese territory, or we'll begin nuking everything between the Litani and Tripoli, includin the Bekaa Valley"?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/23/2008 17:51 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.