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HEZBOLLAH leader Hassan Nasrallah yesterday ruled out civil war as an option in resolving Lebanon's five-month old political deadlock, calling instead for a referendum or early elections as the only ways out. Nasrallah also rejected demands that Hezbollah disarm, saying it would not do so until the Lebanese army was strong enough to defend the country on its own against Israel. Nasrallah said efforts to negotiate an agreement between the Government, headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and the opposition forces he himself leads had failed. The opposition had been seeking 11 seats in the 30-member cabinet, which in effect would give it veto power on major decisions. "The dialogue is deadlocked," said Nasrallah at a ceremony in South Beirut marking the graduation of 1700 Hezbollah supporters from Lebanese universities. "What do we do? We don't want a civil war. If the (choice is that) the stalemate continues for a while or we go to civil war, then let the stalemate continue."
Nasrallah's comments mark a strikingly more moderate tone to those he made at the outbreak of the crisis when civil war appeared to be a distinct possibility. Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a fierce opponent of Nasrallah, said over the weekend that Hezbollah was attempting to set up "a state within a state run by Iran and the Syrian regime".
Alluding to Hezbollah strongholds, Mr Jumblatt said there were territories inside Lebanon to which the Lebanese army is denied access. In reply, Nasrallah said the Government was controlled by the US. "They don't want a national army, they want a sectarian one they can manipulate." Hezbollah would keep its weapons, he said, until a powerful national army capable of defending Lebanon was formed.