Nasrallah: If We Had Known…We Wouldn't Have Captured Israeli Soldiers

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Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday that if he had known the capture of two Israeli soldiers would lead to such a war, he wouldn't have ordered it.
"We did not think, even one percent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude. You ask me, if I had known on July 11 ... that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not," he said in an interview with New TV station.

The two Israeli soldiers were seized during a July 12 Hizbullah cross-border raid that killed eight others. The attack sparked a 34-day Israeli offensive on Lebanon that ended Aug. 14 in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

He said he did not believe a second bout of fighting would break out with Israel. "The current Israeli situation, and the available givens tell us that we are not heading to another round," he said.

Nasrallah also said "contacts" for negotiations on a prisoner swap between Israel and Hizbullah fighters had already begun.

"The Israelis have acknowledged that this (issue) is headed for negotiations and a (prisoners) exchange," he said.

"Contacts recently began for negotiations," he said, adding that Italy and the United Nations had expressed interest in helping to mediate.

He did not specify in which capacity Italy had expressed interest — on its own or as a mediator for Israel.

Nasrallah said Speaker Nabih Berri was in charge of the negotiations.

He also said that U.N. troops preparing to deploy in southern Lebanon would not encounter any problems as long as their mission did not involve disarming his fighters.

"We have no problem with UNIFIL (U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon) as long as its mission is not aimed at disarming Hizbullah," Nasrallah said.

The Secretary General of the group added however that if Lebanese troops in southern Lebanon encountered armed fighters, the army did have the right to collect weapons.

"If the Lebanese army encounters any armed person, it has the right to confiscate their weapons," he said.

"When the army begins protecting its people, this will no longer be our responsibility," he added.

Nasrallah also challenged those demanding the withdrawal of his fighters from south Lebanon, saying that they lived in the villages targeted by Israel.

"How do you expect me to go and tell these (men) to leave their homes" and get out of the region, he said.

He spoke with NTV on the eve of a visit to Beirut by U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who was to discuss with Lebanese leaders the deployment of around 15,000 U.N. troops in southern Lebanon as well as measures to secure the border with Syria.

Nasrallah said he would welcome a meeting with Annan and that contacts had been made toward that end, but he added that nothing had been finalized for security reasons. Nasrallah went into hiding on the first day of the war and his whereabouts are unknown.(AP-AFP-Naharnet)

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