Nasrallah Snaps Back at Ban, Says Hizbullah Will Grow Stronger
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Saturday that United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon’s concern about his party’s arms gives him comfort and happiness, vowing that the party will grow stronger.
“I felt happy when I heard that he (Ban) said he was concerned about our military power,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech during the commemoration of the Arbaeen in Baalbek.
He said that "this concern reassures and pleases us… We do not care if the United States and Israel are concerned."
Ban told a press conference following talks with Lebanese leaders on Friday that he was "deeply concerned" about the military prowess of Hizbullah.
The U.N. chief is on a three-day visit to Lebanon.
However, Nasrallah vowed that his party will not give up its weapons, stressing that the “resistance, army and the people are the only guarantee” to safeguard Lebanon.
"We confirm that our choice is the path of resistance and the arms of the resistance," he told a crowd of cheering supporters via video link.
"The resistance is here to stay. Its power, its readiness, will continue to grow."
He accused the March 14-led opposition, without naming it, of wanting to disarm his party by using the national dialogue as an alibi. “But they won’t be able to achieve this objective,” he stressed.
Nasrallah said that he supports the resumption of the national dialogue at Baabda palace to set a defense strategy.
Concerning the security situation, Hizbullah’s leader said that the party is keen to preserve the “civil peace and stability” in Lebanon
Nasrallah stressed that any “political dispute” shouldn’t affect the civil peace, urging the security forces to take charge of the security situation.
He voiced support to the cabinet urging Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the ministers to give priority to social issues and people’s living conditions.
On the controversial wage boost dispute, Nasrallah stressed the cabinet should resolve this “critical issue”.
The dispute between the involved parties, the Economic Committees, the General Labor Confederation, the Syndicate Coordination Committee and Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas mainly focuses on whether the new wage hike would include the transportation allowance.
Nasrallah said that Lebanon should disavow itself from developments in Syria as the crisis will have negative repercussions on the situation locally.
“We call on the Syrian opposition to abide by (Syrian President Bashar) Assad’s demands to engage in dialogue and cooperate with him to introduce reform that would resolve the country’s problems.”
Nasrallah tackled the death of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmedi Roshan, saying that Tahran will not stop its nuclear program and attempt to develop nuclear technology.
Ahmedi Roshan and his driver were killed on Wednesday when two men on a motorbike slapped a magnetic bomb on his car.
Hizbullah’s chief voiced his support to attempts to unveil the fate of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions, praising the cooperation of the Libyan authorities.
The head of Libya’s National Transitional Council Mustapha Abdul Jalil stated on Friday after holding talks in Libya with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour that missing persons will be found throughout Libya, adding that so far missing Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s fate remains unknown.
Al-Sadr and his two companions disappeared in Libya in 1978 after visiting late rule Moammar Gadhafi.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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