Nasrallah: We Want President Who Won't 'Stab Resistance' and We Hold Onto 'Golden Equation'
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday his party does not want a president who would “stab the resistance in the back,” accusing the March 14 camp of seeking an extension of President Michel Suleiman's term through fielding a “confrontational candidate” to block the election of a “serious nominee.”
“We are before a very important and critical period that has started today,” said Nasrallah, a day after Suleiman left the Baabda Palace upon the end of his six-year tenure, which witnessed a war of words with Hizbullah in recent months over the so-called army-people-resistance equation.
“Some parties are used to launching accusations of obstruction but the issue cannot be tackled through rumors and accusations,” Nasrallah added in a televised speech marking the Resistance and Liberation Day, referring to allegations that the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp was behind impeding the election of a new president.
The Hizbullah leader called for dealing with the vacancy period “calmly and without any tension” even if it is a "grave situation, as some parties have said.”
“This must only prompt further calm and negotiations,” he said.
“We must all exert efforts to shorten this stage by electing a president as soon as possible instead of waiting for international and regional changes,” Nasrallah noted.
He pointed out that there is still “a real domestic, Lebanese chance to elect a strong president who can preserve stability and civil peace in the country and who enjoys real popularity. A president who can reassure all the parties so that Lebanon can overcome this difficult period.”
Nasrallah accused the rival camp of fielding a “confrontational candidate” – Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea -- to block the election of a "serious nominee” and seek the extension of Suleiman's term.
Geagea's nomination was officially endorsed by March 14 while Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, an ally of Hizbullah, had stressed that he would only run in the race as a “consensual candidate.”
“According to my information, the other camp's real plan was not at all the election of a president before May 25, but rather the extension of the president's term. Let no one say that we had obstructed the election,” said Nasrallah.
“For the sake of this proposed extension, we were offered several concessions but I don't want to reveal the secrets at the moment,” he added, stressing that the other camp's alleged project “has failed.”
Nasrallah underlined that his party wants the election of a new president “as soon as possible.”
“But of course we don't want a term extension and we cannot tolerate it,” he added.
“We're not seeking a president who would protect the resistance in Lebanon, as the resistance in Lebanon is protecting the state, the country, the people, the sovereignty and the nation. We want a president who would not conspire against the resistance and who would not stab the resistance in the back. We want him to maintain his stance on the resistance,” said Nasrallah.
On the conflict in neighboring Syria, Hizbullah's leader said the regime and the "resistance axis" which includes his group will emerge victorious.
"Syria will triumph and the resistance axis will triumph," Nasrallah said.
Hizbullah has sent thousands of fighters into Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against rebels, saying they are defending an "axis of resistance" against extremist Islamist groups, Israel and the West.
Nasrallah's speech came two weeks ahead of a presidential vote in Syria that is widely expected to return Assad to power.
"Syria is advancing towards a presidential election that no amount of foreign intimidation or mockery by those who call themselves the 'Friends of Syria' can block or stop," he said.
The exiled opposition and its Western backers, who have held several international meetings under a “Friends of Syria” umbrella, have ridiculed the June 3 vote as a "farce."
On the conflict with Israel, Nasrallah stressed “the importance of the policy of deterrence against the enemy, which means Lebanon's possession of a strength that can deter the enemy.”
“Only strength can protect Lebanon's land, people, institutions, state, resources, water, oil, gas, entity, existence, future, dignity and sovereignty,” he stressed.
“We stress our commitment to the golden army-people-resistance equation, whether or not it was written in the cabinet's policy statement,” said Nasrallah.
Commenting on recent border incidents, Hizbullah's number one warned that “Israeli violations have recently increased on the international border with occupied Palestine, such as threats against citizens, abductions and attacks and shootings against Lebanese shepherds and farmers.”
“These things must be addressed. The normal approach is that the (Lebanese) army and the UNIFIL must intervene and address these issues and as long as the situation has not reached a dangerous level, the state can tackle things. But should things continue in this manner, we must address it,” Nasrallah said.
He warned Israel that “the resistance won't stand idly by if violations on the border reach an extent that requires our intervention.”
“We won't remain silent over any attack against our people along the international border,” vowed Nasrallah.
Y.R.
Source: Naharnet
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