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Bush: Hezbollah Could Join Mainstream
18 minutes ago
Add to My Yahoo! White House - AP
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday left open the possibility that the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah could be part of the political mainstream in Lebanon despite its terrorist past.
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"We view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization," Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. "I would hope that Hezbollah would prove that they are not by laying down arms and not threatening peace."
Hezbollah has been involved in Lebanese politics for over a decade, with an extensive social welfare program and nine lawmakers in the current 128-seat parliament. But it has steered away from major decision-making in national politics as its guerrilla army — the most organized and best-armed faction in Lebanon — focused on fighting Israel. Lebanon considers Hezbollah a legitimate resistance movement that led the guerrilla war against Israel's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.
Lately, Hezbollah has been flexing its political muscle by organization two huge pro-Syrian rallies.
A U.N. Security Council resolution demands that Hezbollah disarm and that Syria, which has 14,000 troops in Lebanon and has enormous control over political affairs there, withdraw its soldiers. The United States has long listed the Iranian-founded, anti-Israeli Shiite Muslim group as a terrorist organization.
Some European leaders and some in Lebanon have been urging the United States to back moves to nudge Hezbollah into mainstream, legitimate political life in Lebanon. Bush appeared open that idea, emphasizing the chance for Hezbollah to change its ways even as he issued new warnings to the group.
"One of our concerns, the majesty and I discussed, is that Hezbollah may try to derail the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians," Bush said. "Hezbollah has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States because of terrorist activities in the past."
Earlier Tuesday in a Beirut suburb, about 2,000 pro-Syrian demonstrators protesting U.S. interference in Lebanon marched toward the U.S. Embassy. On Monday, the opposition to the country's pro-Syrian government organized a huge demonstration of its own that brought about a million people into the capital.
Also, as Bush spoke, Syrian military intelligence were clearing out headquarters in Beirut and vacating another office in the capital. Syria has been moving its troops from northern and central Lebanon to eastern positions closer to the border. Bush: Hezbollah Could Join Mainstream
18 minutes ago
White House - AP
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday left open the possibility that the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah could be part of the political mainstream in Lebanon despite its terrorist past.
"We view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization," Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. "I would hope that Hezbollah would prove that they are not by laying down arms and not threatening peace."
Hezbollah has been involved in Lebanese politics for over a decade, with an extensive social welfare program and nine lawmakers in the current 128-seat parliament. But it has steered away from major decision-making in national politics as its guerrilla army — the most organized and best-armed faction in Lebanon — focused on fighting Israel. Lebanon considers Hezbollah a legitimate resistance movement that led the guerrilla war against Israel's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.
Lately, Hezbollah has been flexing its political muscle by organization two huge pro-Syrian rallies.
A U.N. Security Council resolution demands that Hezbollah disarm and that Syria, which has 14,000 troops in Lebanon and has enormous control over political affairs there, withdraw its soldiers. The United States has long listed the Iranian-founded, anti-Israeli Shiite Muslim group as a terrorist organization.
Some European leaders and some in Lebanon have been urging the United States to back moves to nudge Hezbollah into mainstream, legitimate political life in Lebanon. Bush appeared open that idea, emphasizing the chance for Hezbollah to change its ways even as he issued new warnings to the group.
"One of our concerns, the majesty and I discussed, is that Hezbollah may try to derail the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians," Bush said. "Hezbollah has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States because of terrorist activities in the past."
Earlier Tuesday in a Beirut suburb, about 2,000 pro-Syrian demonstrators protesting U.S. interference in Lebanon marched toward the U.S. Embassy. On Monday, the opposition to the country's pro-Syrian government organized a huge demonstration of its own that brought about a million people into the capital.
Also, as Bush spoke, Syrian military intelligence were clearing out headquarters in Beirut and vacating another office in the capital. Syria has been moving its troops from northern and central Lebanon to eastern positions closer to the border. |
