(Reuters) Mariam Karouny - The Hizballah guerrilla group said on Saturday it expected to discuss demands to disarm after Lebanon's elections in May and June. "I expect that soon after the election there will be an internal discussion about the weapons...calmly inside closed rooms," said Hizballah's deputy chief Sheikh Naim Kassem. "We will say no to recognizing Israel even if all the others did," he said. "So we in Hizballah believe that keeping our weapons is a necessity now and in the future." Some opposition leaders have said they want Hizballah, backed by Syria and Iran, to give up its weapons in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1559. Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that Resolution 1559 did not apply to Hizballah, but added that the group will be disarmed "in the context of a Lebanese framework."
2005-05-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive