Sept 8, 2008
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah encourages all sides to take part in national dialogue
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Lebanon's national dialogue should get under way as soon as possible, encouraging all sides to take part. Hezbollah is ready to enter into dialogue with other parties, he said in a speech broadcast by Hezbollah's Al-Manar television.
Sayyed Nasrallah said "I renew my call for a national dialogue as of tomorrow if it is possible. Let us sit and talk without any preconditions."
"We are open to al-Mustaqbal movement, Dar el Fatwa and all Sunnis and if a meeting with MP Saad Hariri is not possible at the mean time for security reasons nothing prevents holding meetings between the parties' officials," Nasrallah added.
"We are ready to mend all the past wounds and I call on the Lebanese people to refrain from fanatic support of any political figure or party," The Hezbollah leader said.
Nasrallah threw his support behind "everyone who contributes to bringing peace to Tripoli and we endorse all reconciliation efforts in the north in general."
"Despite being accused of igniting strife in Tripoli and supplying the warring factions with arms, Hezbollah was in fact trying to end the strife through various contacts and relations ... but we were doing that away from the media," he said.
Hezbollah, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, "the resistance seeks national unity and the demands for unarming it serves only the Israeli purposes."
In addition, the resistance leader recounted that ever since the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri in February 2005, Hezbollah has been intent on avoiding internal squabbles, especially of the sectarian variety. During the summer 2006 war with Israel, he said, Hezbollah refrained from responding in kind when its actions were criticized by members of the March 14 Forces.
Even in the aftermath of the conflict, he added, "all we wanted was a unity government. This was our only sin."
(8/9/2008)
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah encourages all sides to take part in national dialogue | El Marada Australia