Mustaqbal: Hizbullah Could Have Avoided EU Decision Had it Adhered to Lebanon
The Mustaqbal bloc lamented on Tuesday the European Union's decision to list Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorists organization, saying that it targets a large segment of the Lebanese population.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Hizbullah could have avoided this decision had it kept its goals linked to higher Lebanese interests and remained keen on Lebanese unity that was demonstrated during its honorable resistance against Israel.”
This national unity was demonstrated on numerous occasions against Israel, even during the July 2006 war when the party took a unilateral decision to wage a war against the Jewish state, it added.
Hizbullah did not take advantage of its victories against Israel, but it instead “turned against them and directed its weapons on the internal Lebanese scene and later against the Syrian opposition,” it remarked.
“Hizbullah transformed from a resistance group into a militia that contradicts Lebanese laws and the country's constitution,” said the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc.
On this note, it demanded that Hizbullah respect the state and its institutions and international resolutions.
“Hizbullah must withdraw its fighters and militia groups from Syria,” it urged.
“It must hand over the suspects wanted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on charges of being linked to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” it continued.
“The party must halt all security and military activity abroad,” added the Mustaqbal bloc.
The tribunal accused four Hizbullah member of being involved in the assassination of Hariri on February 14, 2005.
Hizbullah has rejected the accusation, saying that the STL is an American-Zionist product aimed at destroying the party.
Party leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Hizbullah will not cooperate with the tribunal, adding that he doubts that the suspects will ever be found.
On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing.
To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics.
Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act.
Commenting on recent demands to resume the national dialogue, the Mustaqbal bloc welcome these efforts, saying that talks “remain the best way for communication among partners in Lebanon, especially given the critical regional situation.”
It revealed that it will hold consultations with its March 14 allies in order to take a final decision on the matter.
It stressed however “the need to derive lessons from past dialogue rounds and implement the decisions taken at the time, the last of which was the Baabda Declaration.”
The Declaration was adopted during the last national dialogue session that was held in June 2012.
It demands that Lebanon disassociate itself from regional developments, especially those in Syria.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/91640 |