Nasrallah Hails Lebanese Stances on Riyadh Summit, Says Saudi Sought to 'Bribe' Trump
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday hailed President Michel Aoun, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, the Lebanese government and al-Mustaqbal Movement over their stances that sought to dissociate Lebanon from the resolutions and statements of the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh.
“The stances of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and President Michel Aoun on the Riyadh summit were courageous and responsible and will contribute to immunizing the country,” said Nasrallah in a televised speech marking the Resistance and Liberation Day.
“Even the government and al-Mustaqbal Movement have said that the Riyadh declaration is not binding for Lebanon,” Nasrallah noted.
He also reassured the Lebanese that “all the stances that were said and issued at the Riyadh summit will not have any impact on the Lebanese domestic situation.”
“Saudi Arabia is behind the takfiri thought and the takfiri groups and the entire world knows this, that's why the Saudi regime sought to offer a bribe to (U.S. President Donald) Trump,” Nasrallah added, referring to huge deals worth some $380 billion that were signed between Riyadh and Washington during Trump's visit.
“The Riyadh summit was focused on deviating the accusation of supporting terrorism from Saudi Arabia and pinning it on Iran,” Nasrallah said.
The U.S. president is "only interested in money" and is the most "racist" U.S. president against Arabs and Muslims, Hizbullah's chief added, saying the Saudi welcome and deals signed were a sign of the kingdom's "weakness."
Slamming Hizbullah and Hamas in his speech at the Arab Islamic American Summit, Trump blamed Iran for destabilizing the Middle East and called for a crackdown on its allies, including Hizbullah.
But Nasrallah struck a defiant tone on Thursday, saying Hizbullah was "not afraid of any war, sanctions, or intimidation in the media."
"Threats of killing or dying do not scare us... No one scares us at all. They are weaker than ever," Nasrallah said.
Addressing Saudi Arabia, Nasrallah also stressed that dialogue with Iran is the only way forward.
Reminiscing Hizbullah's armed struggle against Israel's occupation of Lebanon, Hizbullah's chief said “this spirit and will were repeated in the Bekaa, Hermel and Baalbek.”
“When the events started in Syria and the armed groups seized control of the border with Bekaa, and when Hermel was hit by rockets and car bombs, you were the ones who confronted the situation, not the foreign forces who were offering them arms and financial and political support,” Nasrallah added, addressing Hizbullah supporters at a Hermel rally.
“You stood by your national army and offered martyrs and the entire resistance stood by you. The same as Hermel's youths fell as martyrs in the South, the young men of the South came to Hermel's outskirts to fall as martyrs there,” he added.
Turning to the situation on the eastern border and in the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, Nasrallah reiterated that “the militants have been completely kicked out of the Eastern Mountain Range.”
“The remaining phase is Arsal's outskirts. I reiterate that Arsal's residents and the government must exert efforts to put an end to this situation and we are keen on preventing bloodshed,” Nasrallah added.
“The current situation cannot continue, seeing as the outskirts contain armed groups and would-be suicide bombers who are threatening the region and its neighbors and I tell the armed groups in the outskirts that they have reached a dead end,” he went on to say.
As for the lawlessness and internal security situation in the Bekaa, Nasrallah noted that the army and security forces are carrying out new measures in Baalbek and Hermel.
“We stress the importance of this official security effort in the face of the violations in this region. We call on residents to show further cooperation with the army and security forces to achieve this goal which will reflect positively on everyone,” he urged.
On the electoral law, Nasrallah revealed the presence of positive developments.
“There is not much time left but we are still hoping to reach a new electoral law. Some new ideas were proposed over the past two days and they might lead to a good result,” he said.
“We stress the importance of reaching a new law for the sake of the country and everyone's credibility. We have said no to vacuum, no to extension and no the 1960 law and when the president says that the political forces have a grace period until June 20, this means that logically there should be an extraordinary legislative session in order to reach the desired result,” Nasrallah added.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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