Hezbollah disarmament not for discussion: minister

AFP ^ | 3/07/2010 | AFP

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

A Hezbollah minister said on Sunday that disarming his Shiite militant group was not "a subject for discussion," two days before Lebanon's national dialogue on defence strategy is due to resume.

"Some have implied that the dialogue session seeks to establish when Hezbollah will be disarmed," Administrative Reform Minister Mohammad Fneich was quoted as saying by the state news agency ANI.

"This issue is not a subject for discussion and will not be debated at the dialogue session," Fneich said.

Politicians from rival parties are due to meet Tuesday for a new session on defence strategy to be chaired by President Michel Sleiman.

The US-backed government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri has failed to resolve the thorny issue of Hezbollah's weapons since its formation in November, when it defeated a Hezbollah-led coalition backed by Iran and Syria.

The Shiite movement has refused to disarm since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war and insists that its weapons are necessary to defend Lebanon against Israeli aggression.

The so-called national dialogue was launched in 2006, before the devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, to determine the fate of the weapons held by the Shiite militant group.

But it has been delayed several times because of the country's successive political crises.

Israel says Hezbollah has built up its arsenal in recent years, from 14,000 rockets at the outbreak of the 2006 war to 40,000 now.

[onedoug]

How about killing them...all.

[SunkenCiv]

...two days before Lebanon's national dialogue on defence strategy is due to resume. "Some have implied that the dialogue session seeks to establish when Hezbollah will be disarmed," Administrative Reform Minister Mohammad Fneich was quoted as saying...

Thanks sonofstrangelove.

[reagan_fanatic]

Fine - we’ll do it the old fashioned way then.