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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Nasrallah: dialogue on Lebanon crisis "premature"
2007-02-17
(Xinhua) -- Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that the various calls for a national dialogue in Lebanon are "premature," but he welcomed bilateral meetings with the group's allies. In a speech Friday during the annual commemoration of the killing of two senior Hezbollah officials in Israeli attacks in 1987 and 1992, Nasrallah said that any talk about dialogue or consultations for finding a way out of the Lebanese crisis is "premature." But he welcomed bilateral meetings "between a leader of the other party and a leader of the opposition," adding that "bilateral meetings could be an effort leading to opening gaps" in the wall separating both camps.

Nasrallah said that Hezbollah at this stage was not prepared to talk directly to leaders of the pro-government March 14 alliance. "We trust our allies," said Nasrallah, "any leader of an opposition faction can represent us without hesitation."

Last week, Lebanese authorities seized a truck full of weapons belonging to Hezbollah near Beirut. "My brethren and I are ready to give the army multiple folds of weapons, but we will not forgive anyone for usurping a bullet," Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah also noted that Hezbollah has no interest in attacking the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), accusing some political factions in the country of trying to hint that his group has such intentions. "The UNIFIL came with our approval and we have no interests in carrying out any attack against them," Nasrallah stressed.

A beefed-up UNIFIL force was deployed in southern Lebanon in accordance to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended last year's 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.
Posted by:Fred

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