UPDATED ON:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
06:11 Mecca time, 03:11 GMT
 
News Middle East
Hezbollah backed over Shebaa farms
One hundred members of parliament voted
in support of the statement [AFP]

Lebanon's new government has won a vote of confidence, approving a policy statement recognising Hezbollah's right to use all means possible to regain Israeli-occupied land claimed by Lebanon.

One hundred members of the 128-seat parliament voted in support of the cabinet proposal on Tuesday, allowing the cabinet to finally start work.

"One hundred MPs have given their confidence to the cabinet, five voted against and two abstained," Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker, announced to the assembly.

The policy statement recognises the right of Lebanon, its government, people and armed movements to use all means possible to regain land claimed by Lebanon, a reference to the Shebaa Farms and nearby Israeli-held parts of Ghajjar village.

Israel and the UN say Shebaa, occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, is Syrian.

Damascus and Beirut, which never demarcated borders, claim it is Lebanese.

Hezbollah's weapons

The policy statement was discussed in five days of parliamentary debate which underlined a wide divide over Hezbollah's arsenal.

The ruling majority, backed by the West and most Sunni-led Arab states, nevertheless insists on Hezbollah's disarmament, a move Hezbollah and its political allies reject.

Hezbollah's weapons will be discussed at a later date as part of a "national defence strategy" during a national dialogue to be chaired by Michel Sleiman, Lebanon's president.

The national dialogue is part of the Qatari-mediated deal that ended Lebanon's political conflict.

The policy statement also emphasised the government's commitment to a UN Security Council resolution that ended a 34-day war in 2006 between Hezbollah and Israel.

It also adopted changes to economic policies agreed at an international aid conference held in Paris in 2007.

 Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 2
 
Norberto
Argentina
13/08/2008
Jewish duplicity
This is a good proof that Israel NEVER negotiates in good faith. PM Olmert was just buying time with his false peace overtures as soon as he realized that the next USA's government and cabinet is going to be chosen in Tel Aviv, he decided that it is much better for Israel to wait in order to take advantage of their control over it. Israel’s neighbors should not consent to this arm-twisting strategy and demand the inclusion of legitimate fair and neutral mediators in the negotiations.

Yitzhak
United States
15/08/2008
All means possible? Does this include negotiations?
It would seem that not "all means possible" will be tried since it is highly doubtful the now Hezbollah-controlled Lebanese government would wish to negotiate with Israel toward a land for a peace treaty deal. So, all means possible really means by force of arms. This vote by the Lebanese Parliament is a vote for war, instability and misery for many people, especially Lebanese and Israelis.

 
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