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BEIRUT: Hizbullah chief urges political 'reconciliation' in Lebanon

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  • BEIRUT: Hizbullah chief urges political 'reconciliation' in Lebanon

    The Daily Star, Lebanon
    June 9 2005

    Hizbullah chief urges political 'reconciliation' in Lebanon

    By Majdoline Hatoum
    Daily Star staff
    Thursday, June 09, 2005



    BEIRUT: Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah called for
    political "reconciliation" and urged Lebanon's politicians to put
    "the past behind" them. Nasrallah's remarks came as he urged Shiites
    to support Hizbullah's decision to put up a candidate for Sunday's
    Mount Lebanon polls on the electoral list of Druze leader Walid
    Jumblatt and former foes, the right wing Christian Lebanese Forces.

    Hizbullah's leader said: "Our alliance is based on forgetting the
    past. I am calling for gathering around a slogan said by late
    president and Phalanges leader Bashir Gemayel during the civil war,
    the slogan of 'Lebanon is 10,452 square meters.'"

    Lebanon remains under international pressure to disarm Hizbullah
    which last month claimed it had 12,000 rockets aimed at northern
    Israel.

    Washington insists the resistance group a terrorist organization, but
    Hizbullah's believes its clean sweep in last week's round of voting
    is proof of public support for the group's right to maintain its
    arms.

    The Mount Lebanon polls are shaping up into a tight battle between
    Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and his arch rival
    Jumblatt, but with Hizbullah's support, Jumblatt is looking the
    likely victor winning the majority of the 10 seats up for grabs.

    Last night Aoun's battle became more difficult as the opposition
    factions agreed to stand on a single list in Mount Lebanon's
    Kesrouan-Jbeil district.

    Aoun is standing for a seat in Jbeil. But until last night Aoun was
    facing a divided opposition running on separate lists offering him a
    good chance of securing most of the seats.

    Last night's announcement make Aoun's chances of securing a seat for
    himself more difficult since the opposition vote will not now be
    split.

    The new opposition list, which gathers most factions of Lebanon's
    opposition, including the Christian Qornet Shehwan Gathering, the
    Phalanges Base, National Bloc and the Lebanese Forces, was announced
    by opposition MP Fares Soueid, who will be competing with Aoun on the
    Maronite seat for Jbeil.


    During the announcement of

    the list, which witnessed the presence of the wife of jailed LF
    leader Strida Geagea, Carlos Edde, head of the National Bloc, said
    the list tried to "maintain the unity of the opposition, national
    unity and coexistence."

    But Aoun campaigned against the rest of the opposition, asking people
    to vote for his lists around Mount Lebanon.

    Addressing supporters in Dbayeh, he said: "Don't sell out your votes,
    your votes will bring on change to the Lebanese political arena."

    Aoun had met during the day with pro-Syrian politician Suleiman
    Franjieh, who said following the meeting their alliance in Lebanon's
    North was being "finalized."

    Aoun had also met with the Armenian candidate in Mount Lebanon, Hagob
    Pakradonian, after which an alliance between the two was announced.

    Pakradonian, who is holding another alliance with pro-Syrian Deputy
    Speaker Michel Murr in the area, said he was working to build an
    alliance between Aoun and Murr, who was the main official figure to
    prosecute Aoun's FPM during the past 15 years.

    Pakradonian said: "I believe we will know the final decision within
    24 hours."

    During a rally for the LF, Geagea gave out the names of the LF
    candidates in Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon, stressing that their
    alliance with the rest of the opposition goes beyond elections.

    She said: "Our alliance came to fold the pages of the past for good,
    and to work on building a new future for Lebanon, a future of
    coexistence and democracy."

    Geagea will stand for a seat in Bsharri on a list with Saad Hariri
    and other opposition factions.
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