Qaouq Rejects Feltman’s Interference in 2013 Elections
Deputy Head of Hizbullah's Executive Council Sheikh Nabil Qaouq slammed on Saturday U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman for interfering in the elections, considering it as a “violation of sovereignty and dignity.”
“His discussions that focused on the elections confirm that he is the actual leader of the March 14 forces in Lebanon,” Qaouq said.
He accused Feltman of seeking to inflame sedition in Lebanon.
The U.S. official arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday. His talks with senior Lebanese officials focused on the need for Lebanon to respect constitutional deadlines with regard to the 2013 parliamentary elections.
Concerning the weapons shipment that was intercepted by the Lebanese navy in its territorial water, Qaouq said that the arms vessel Lutfallah II was funded by the Arab countries oil money.
The Lebanese army intercepted last month the arms vessel Lutfallah II that contained three containers of arms off the northern coast and towed it to the port of Selaata and then to the navy base in Beirut.
The eleven-member crew – eight Syrians, two Egyptians and an Indian - and the ship’s agent were arrested.
Investigations revealed that no Lebanese national was involved in the case.
The Hizbullah official lashed out at the March 14 forces for involving Lebanon is the Syrian crisis by supporting the arming of the Syrian opposition.
“They still don’t realize the repercussions of turning Lebanon into a country of incitement against the neighboring country,” Qaouq stated.
On the wall that the Israeli military began building along the Lebanese border, he said: “Building walls and military exercises will not save them from their fate.”
Israel's military announced the project in January, saying it would protect recently-constructed apartment blocks in Metulla from sniper fire coming from the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila.
Israel and Lebanon are technically at war but military officers from the two sides meet regularly under the auspices of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to coordinate security along their joint border.
Israel fought a devastating war against Hizbullah movement in 2006, which cost the lives of 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
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