Qaouq: Diab's Designation Puts End to American Exploitation Attempt

The appointment of ex-minister Hassan Diab as premier-designate has put an end to Washington’s perceived attempt to “exploit” the crisis and the protests in Lebanon, a senior Hizbullah official said on Sunday.

Warning that “some are seeking to ignite strife,” Hizbullah central council member Sheikh Nabil Qaouq said “America has failed, because betting on exploiting the domestic crisis and investing in it has reached a dead end, after it tried to take advantage of the crisis to achieve political gains.”

“PM-designate Diab’s appointment came to put an end to the American exploitation,” he added.

Noting that there is “a real chance to form a government to rescue Lebanon from a worse situation,” Qaouq said Diab’s designation represents “a real chance for the Lebanese to rescue what can be rescued.”

The Hizbullah official also urged all political forces to “show a responsible patriotic stance by giving a chance to the PM-designate to form a reformist salvation government, not a government aimed at confronting anyone, a government that would listen to the voices of all people, whether those present in the squares or in their homes.”

The new government should “seek to block strife and regain the confidence of those inside the country before that of those outside the country,” Qaouq urged.

As for Hizbullah’s stance, he added: “We have not demanded or sought posts nor a government of confrontation and elimination and we are demanding the broadest participation.”