Lebanese gov't rejects UN call to disarm Hizbullah

The Lebanese government on Thursday rejected UN calls to disarm Hizbullah in line with a Security Council resolution passed last year, insisting the m

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Lebanese government on Thursday rejected UN calls to disarm Hizbullah in line with a Security Council resolution passed last year, insisting the matter was subject to national dialogue. Lebanon's renewed opposition comes one day after the Security Council discussed a UN report that said Beirut has not done enough to disarm terror groups in the country - including the Syrian and Iranian-backed Hizbullah. Lebanon regards Hizbullah as a legitimate resistance group opposing Israeli occupation of Arab lands. Disarming such groups should also be handled internally through dialogue among the country's various factions, Lebanon maintains. The UN Security Council Resolution 1559 of September 2004 demands Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias disarm, the Lebanese army deploy in southern Lebanon and Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in its affairs. But Hizbullah, which has representation in Parliament and in Cabinet, has refused to disarm, saying the weapons are needed to liberate remaining Lebanese territory and to guard against any possible Israeli attack in the future. Hizbullah has almost complete control in southern Lebanon where it clashes frequently with the IDF on the two countries' border.