Nasrallah: Arbaein rituals in Iraq, beginning of countdown for ending US presence
Beirut, April 23, IRNA -- Secretary General of Lebanese Hizbullah
Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said here on Tuesday that the unprecedented
glorious observance of Arbaein rituals in Karbala this year would
click the start of the negative countdown for ending US presence in
Iraq, and in the whole Middle East region.
Nasrallah who was speaking on Tuesday night at a commemoration
service to mark the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam
Hussain (PBUH) -- Arbaein -- in the south of Lebanon, compared the
glorious observance of the Arbaein rituals in Iraq this year, with
that of the 1982 in Lebanon.
"In 1982, too, the Lebanese nation's wide participation in Arbaein
rituals clicked the beginning of the strong resistance against the
racist-Zionists' presence in Lebanon," said Nasrallah.
Referring to the horrendous developments of the past few weeks in
the Middle East, and particularly in Iraq, the Hizbullah Secretary
General emphasized, "the Bush administration had initially aimed at
turning its war in Iraq into a war between the world Christians and
the Islamic world. But that satanic plan failed thanks to the wise
stand adopted by the Pope, as well as the alertness of the Islamic
Alims."
Nasrallah said, "another dreadful US objective in starting a war
against Iraq was flickering the flames of an internal crisis among the
region's Muslim nations."
He added, "Some circles helped Bush in achieving that goal, by
emphasizing over the mosaic combination of the Iraqi population, but
that plot, too, failed thanks to the alertness and timely moves on the
part of the Iraqi Shia leaders and nation."
Warning the regional nations that the US and Israel are together
trying to imply the idea in the hearts and minds of the
regional nations that they are incapable of resisting in the face of
the US will, Nasrallah said, "The Americans tell a big lie about
fighting to establish democracy and to safeguard freedoms in Iraq.
"They are actually after securing other goals there, and everyone
knows it too well to be denied by them," he said
Nasrallah added that the Iraqi nation had no longer been relived
of a nightmare called Saddam, that the Iraqis found themselves in the
middle of a more horrendous nightmare, called the US occupation.
He said, "The Americans should have better called their operation
'Occupation of Iraq', rather than 'Operation Liberation of Iraq',
since they have gone there to stay, and are there to oppress the
Iraqis and to steal their wealth, not to present them liberty."
Quoting the recent days' remarks by the White House politicians,
he said, "the Americans have planned for a long stay in Iraq, and
their recent days' comments prove this hypothesis."
The Hizbullah Sec. Gen appreciate the Iraqi nation for refraining
from cooperation with the US and British armies, adding, "In Iraq,
particularly in Exalted Najaf, none of the religious Alims yielded to
the foreigners' demand to justify the occupiers' deeds by issuing
decrees. They did not do so even when there was serous threat against
the lives of prominent clerics there."
Nasrallah emphasized, "although we have now left behind a phase
of the plots hatched against us, the mercenaries in touch with the
United States still keep their efforts aimed at creating problems for
the Iraqi nation, and foiling those plots calls for broad and
comprehensive alertness."
The top Lebanese Hizbullah official said that the US threats
against Syria are both political and psychological at this stage,
while Syria is the last strong castle of the Arab world in their
historic conflict with Israel.
He added, "The US intends to force Syria to yield to Israel's
demands, end taking advantage of power levers in its confrontation
with Israel, exert pressure against the Palestinians, urge them to end
their legendary resistance and to sit at the negotiation table,
putting down their arms, under such circumstances that Israel is
armed to its teeth."
He said that the Americans also want Syria to disarm the Lebanese
assistance, that has become a practical pattern for all nations
wishing to resist against oppression.
Nasrallah invited all Arab and Muslim countries and nations to
resort to all their political, propagation and economic means in
support of Syria under the current sensitive circumstances.
Referring to this argument of the Americans and Israelis that
"Syria has occupied Lebanon", Nasrallah said, "the US occupiers of
Iraq, and Zionist occupiers of Palestine have no right to speak
about Syria's legitimate presence in Lebanon, that is based on the
request of the Lebanese government, and people."
The Hizbullah Sec. Gen. also confirmed the fact that the
Lebanese and Palestinian resistance fighters are currently seriously
threatened, arguing, "all the same, such threats and psychological
harassments create no doubt in the resolute will of these groups to
resist injustice, occupation and colonialist tendencies of the
Israelis and the Americans."
Nasrallah said that Hizbullah has learned lessons from the
developments in Iraq, adding, "the Lebanese and Palestinian nations
have reached the conclusion that the only way to achieve liberty and
their legitimate goals is keeping alive the flames of resistance."
At the end he emphasized one more time, "There is no other way,
but to keep alive the resistance movement, since otherwise we should
surrender, and yield to the endless demands of the Israelis and the
Americans. But as we managed to force the strongest Mideast army to
get out of Lebanon, we will not give up resistance in the future
either"
NA/AR
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