Jumblat defends views as Hezbollah MP slams blatant US 'interference'

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat told L'Orient-Le Jour that neither the Lebanese Parliament nor the Cabinet was consulted before the signing of a tripartite framework deal with Israel.

"I have the right to express my opinion," he said, in an interview on Tuesday.

His remarks come after a U.S. State Department spokesman accused Jumblat of having "little regard for principle, his own constituency, or the future of his country," after the Druze leader criticized direct negotiations with Israel and the U.S.' role.

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Jumblat said Lebanon should have endorsed the American-Iranian Islamabad track instead of engaging in direct negotiations with Israel, which he believes will be fruitless and "lead to nowhere."

He said Lebanon's government has mistakenly believed that the Americans could pressure the Israelis to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

The Druze leader added that the U.S. can help Lebanon by sending "better diplomats" and changing its policy.

The State Department spokesman snapped back, saying that "Hezbollah and their friends thought the so-called Islamabad track could serve as a license for Hezbollah to retain its arsenal while Israel withdraws again." "That was never a realistic option," he added.

In his Sunday interview, Jumblat called for dialogue with Hezbollah and Iran, stressing that it is not possible to eliminate the Shiites "or tell them to go away".

He also warned against civil war, saying that some Lebanese parties and foreign diplomats actually want it.

"Relying on Iran to disarm Hezbollah is a mechanism for preserving Tehran's veto over Lebanese sovereignty," the American spokesman said.

"As (U.S.) Ambassador (to Lebanon Michel) Issa said, the United States is prepared to engage Hezbollah only through the Lebanese state, and only on the topic of disarmament," he added.

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar condemned the "brazen insolence" of the U.S. administration and its "overt interference" in Lebanese affairs, while defending Jumblat's right to express his opinion. He said the "blatant American interference has reached dangerous and unprecedented levels that can no longer be ignored" and accused the U.S. of violating Lebanon's sovereignty.

"The Lebanese people know their interests best and know how to manage their affairs and address their problems," Ammar concluded.