Lebanese Nasrallah speaks on war anniversary, Israeli "threats"

Beirut Al-Manar Television in Arabic at 1810 gmt on 14 August begins to carry live a speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah on the second anniversary of the end of the war of July-August 2006, or what Hezbollah calls the "Divine Victory".

At the beginning of the speech, and before talking about the war anniversary, Nasrallah offers his condolences to the families of the Lebanese soldiers and civilians who were killed in a bombing in Tripoli on 13 August. He says: "This crime, which was carried out yesterday as Lebanon prepares for entering a new phase on more than one domestic and regional level, is a crime that must be condemned by all Lebanese. It must be an incentive for all of us to leave the state of tension, friction, dispute and nervousness, to the phase of cooperation to immunize our country against all dangers and threats."

Speaking about the second "Divine Victory" anniversary, Nasrallah expresses gratitude and respect for those who were killed, wounded, or harmed during the war. He also thanks other countries that supported Lebanon during that war. He says as the time passes, there have been new revelations about the huge military and security capabilities used by Israel and the volume of international and regional "collusion" with Israel. On the other hand, he says the war reflected the capabilities of Lebanese people. He says what happened during that war was a "true miracle" and a "divine victory" against the strongest army in the region, supported by the "strongest and most vicious tyrants of the world."

He says the second anniversary shows that the repercussions of the war are still continuing, both regionally and within Israel. On the effects of the war on Israel, Nasrallah says: "The repercussions continue within the enemy entity and its army, in which the majority, if not the entire first line of commanders and generals have been either dismissed or have resigned. It exported some of those failed general, such as General Gal Hirsch, who went to Georgia. That miserable government entrusted him with establishing, training, and rehabilitating the Georgian Special Forces. Georgia, which relied on Israeli experts and Israeli weapons in confronting Russia, is facing the failure it has learned from failed generals. By the way, what happened in Georgia these days is a lesson for all of those who accept to be pushed by America into adventures, uncalculated wars, and hopeless confrontations. At the end, America abandons them, and simply issues a statement as a lip service, for its interests are above anything else."

At 1820 gmt, Nasrallah comments on Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Baraq's assertions that Israel's failure in 2006 was because of the lack of combat expertise among the command that waged that war. He sarcastically reminds Baraq that the Lebanese resistance imposed on him a "humiliating withdrawal" from southern Lebanon in 2000, and did not allow him to make any political or security gains. He says as the political repercussions of that war in Israel continue, "the political life of the entire political and military crew that led the battle has ended."

On the regional level, Nasrallah says that after the war, the 'New Middle East' plan was frozen, but now two years after the war the project seems to have been put off for a long time to come. He says he no longer hears US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talk about the New Middle East, which he says could have inevitably led to the division of some Arab and Islamic countries. He says also as a result of the war on the regional level "Israel stands confused at the gates of Gaza, accepts the calm, wagers on the siege, and admits the failure to confront the rockets of the Palestinian resistance."

On Israel's position on Syria, Nasrallah says: "Israel itself is moving from the threats of war against Syria to adopting the strategy of negotiations with it anew and working on breaking its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the resistance movements."

He says: "Israel is standing horrified and hesitant in front of the Islamic Republic of Iran, not knowing whether to move forward or backward."

He says another result of the war was strengthening the "culture of resistance."

On Iraq, Nasrallah praises the "true resistance," which he says does not kill innocent civilians, as happened today when suicide bombers attacked Shi'i pilgrims in Karbala. He says those who commit such acts are "criminal groups that have nothing with the project of resistance in Iraq." He notes growing support for the resistance in Iraq, saying that the July war was a basic factor for the increased support for the "resistance" in Iraq.

At 1832, gmt Nasrallah begins to speak about the return of Lebanese prisoners from Israel, noting that he will not talk about some aspects of the swap deal with Israel until the DNA tests on "four martyrs," including Dalal al-Mughrabi and Yahya Skaff, are completed. He says he will hold a "special news conference" in the next few days to talk about this file and the file of missing Lebanese and other prisoners.

Nasrallah then begins to talk about the formation of a new government in Lebanon. He says the new government issued a policy statement which was "fair to the resistance and disappointed the enemy."

At 1835 gmt Nasrallah says at this point he will stop talking about the repercussions of the war and will talk about current issues.

He begins to speak about Israeli officials' talk about Hezbollah's growing power. He says this talk increased after the exchange of prisoners. He says he will comment on this issue in view of its importance for Lebanon and the region. He says: "Definitely, nobody expects me to stand up now to say that we have a new weapon or that we do not have a new weapon. This is not our habit." He says Hezbollah speaks about its weapons only as part of managing the conflict with Israel. He says in the 2006 war Israel was surprised by the weapons owned by Hezbollah, adding: "Therefore, we are not interested in denying or in confirming. If the Israelis threaten us we will not be afraid and rush to deny. We will neither deny nor confirm." He says the Israeli clamour about Hezbollah's weapons is part of the campaign aiming at disarming Hezbollah.

He declares: "All the Lebanese should be alert to this point: Disarming the resistance in Lebanon is a declared Israeli objective. I am not divulging special or secret information; this is being declared on TV, satellite channels, and the news media. The Israelis talk about this daily and make threats about it too." Nasrallah says the Israeli clamour about Hezbollah weapons aims at discouraging Hezbollah from developing its weapons, putting pressure on the Lebanese national dialogue, exaggerating Hezbollah power to acquire more US and Western support.

He says: "Yes, we should confront this clamour strongly. Lebanon or anybody in Lebanon must not yield to this extortion and uproar." He says if the Lebanese are united, the Israelis cannot do anything against Lebanon.

Speaking about Israeli threats to target Hezbollah, Nasrallah says: "I tell the Zionists that we are not afraid of you, and we were never afraid of you. You can say whatever you want and do whatever you want. We know that you plan for new assassinations against the leaders of the resistance, but this will not push us back. In the past, you killed [Hezbollah leader] Shaykh Raghib [Harb]; you killed [former Hezbollah Secretary General] Sayyid Abbas [Al-Musawi], and many other leaders of the resistance. You also killed dear commander Al-Hajj Imad Mughniyah." He adds: "We will remain steadfast here. I tell you that we will work day and night and our main concern is to make Lebanon stronger with its state, army, people, and resistance and to have the upper hand, God willing. As for you, the Zionists, your threats, which are part of your language and not ours, I say: Go to hell."

Commenting on the Lebanese national dialogue, Nasrallah says: "We stress the need to prepare for national dialogue and hold it as soon as possible. In my speech on the reception of the freed prisoners I said that we insist more than others, and more than before, on the need to discuss and decide on this strategy so that all of us would know how to defend our country in light of all future challenges. Besides, we should take into consideration the rightful calls by a number of political forces on the need to represent the main and essential forces in this crucial national dialogue."

Nasrallah goes on to say: "In this context, we stress our full readiness and openness to a scientific, quiet, and purposeful discussion of a national defence strategy that achieves the aspired national targets. However, we also call for discussing other crucial issues that are not less important than the defence strategy, and we informed the president's representative of this." He explains that the first issue that needs to be discussed is "a national strategy to rebuild the just and strong state that reassures all parties on right and clear bases, and this does not mean a call for amending Al-Ta'if Agreement," adding that "we need a real national dialogue."

Nasrallah then urges the government to address the economic situation in Lebanon and the living conditions of the Lebanese people. He also warns of an "economic disaster" that he says could lead to the "total collapse in Lebanon."

Commenting on the Syrian-Lebanese relations and the Lebanese president's recent meeting with the Syrian president, Nasrallah says: "This visit marks a new phase and indicates a qualitative development in relations between Lebanon and Syria. We hope that none will hinder or complicate these endeavours. Based on my knowledge and years of experience about this issue, I strongly believe that the positive atmosphere will handle pending issues between the two countries in a way that serves the interest of the two countries."

He also speaks about the parliamentary deliberations while discussing the Lebanese policy statement. He says: "We listened to the acute attacks against the resistance and the weapon of resistance. I have always called for calm, and I reiterate the call for calm. I also urged my brothers to remain patient and not to get out of control despite the harshness of what is being said. I also call on everybody to remain patient and disposed despite the harshness of what is being said. At the same time, I stress to everybody that media campaigns against the resistance and its weapon, making accusations against it, and distorting its image will not do any good and cannot undermine the will and determination of the resistance." He adds: "The only thing that these campaigns can do is raise the level of tension in the street, which Lebanon no longer needs. Lebanon needs calm. I tell them to learn a lesson from all previous events. The 33-day aggression by the strongest army in the region and with international support - and despite the fierceness of that war - did not weaken the resistance, its men, its followers, or its weapon. On the contrary, this made it stronger. The enemy speaks everyday about the growing strength of the resistance. Hence, a few angry speeches will not change the scene. I say this to my brothers who get angry and to those who make angry speeches. All of this noise inside the country or in the region will go in vain. The resistance is a very deep-rooted programme. It is a conscious and calculated programme that is based on strong foundations, as well intellectual, cultural, political, national, psychological, emotional, and civilized bases. I do not believe that such small moves can make any change in the course of the resistance. Let us put aside whatever arouses the people and let us deal with the new phase with a sense of responsibility."

Nasrallah reaffirms the existence of a national unity government in Lebanon, urging all parties to seize the opportunity and "chances of success." He later urges the government to work responsibly and seriously on all files. He adds: "I reiterate Hezbollah's readiness for real and true cooperation with the government and all ministries in a way that serves the national interests of our country and our people. I also urge political forces to ease this tension and resort to calm dialogue, discussion, and criticism."

Nasrallah concludes his speech at 1904 gmt.

Source: Al-Manar Television, Beirut, in Arabic 1810 gmt 14 Aug 08