Nasrallah Denies Blocking Negotiations in Troops Case, Rejects Anti-IS Coalition

by Naharnet Newsdesk over 9 years

Timeline

Nasrallah on Yemen: We hail the agreement and it is a historic opportunity to pull Yemen out of its complicated problems. It also eliminates those who were behind the domestic problems. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The terrorists will not be able to reach Lebanon's regions or Beirut and we can protect all areas from terrorism. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Those who want to support Lebanon can do so through three points -- cutting off the financing of terrorism; halting the training, arming and dispatch of fighters to Lebanon; speeding up support to the army; and helping Lebanon resolve the refugee crisis. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The Lebanese are capable of confronting terrorism despite the incitement and political overbidding. Lebanon can fight terror and it has succeeded in doing so through the army, security forces and perseverance. over 9 years

Nasrallah: It is not in Lebanon's interest to be in the U.S.-led international coalition, not in line with the dissociation policy but because that poses threats to Lebanon. Lebanon does not need to be part of this coalition. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The U.S. intends to impose military bases and political choices. over 9 years

Nasrallah: This coalition, as Obama has announced, is aimed at defending American interests and this is not our business. All peoples in the region have the right to question America's motives. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We are against the coalition because America is the mother and source of terrorism and because it is the ultimate supporter of Zionist state terrorism. The U.S. played a role in creating the takfiri movements and it is not in an ethical position that qualifies it for leading a war against terrorism. The side that struck Japan with nuclear bombs, committed atrocities in the Vietnam war and stood against Gaza in the 50-day war is not ethically eligible to present itself as a fighter of terrorism. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Our principled stance does not change from one arena to another and we don't accept that Lebanon become a member of this coalition. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We are against American military intervention and against the international coalition, whether the target is the regime or the IS. over 9 years

Nasrallah on regional developments and anti-IS coalition: Everyone knows that Hizbullah is against the IS. We are against these takfiri movements and we are fighting them. Our stance on these groups and the need to fight them is clear, but the issue of the U.S. military intervention is something else and it must be tackled from many angles. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Lebanon is before a real challenge and let's see how the government and political forces will act. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Attacks on refugees and counter-abductions serve the goals of the kidnappers and we need to practice restraint and preserve the social and national fabric. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We hope no battle will take place in Lebanese territory. over 9 years

Nasrallah: I said on the very first day we went to Qusayr that those who want to fight must go to Syria because we don't want a war in Lebanon. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The extremists want a sectarian strife in Lebanon and they want to bring the battle into Lebanon. over 9 years

Nasrallah on counter-kidnappings: They are fruitless, impermissible religiously and legally, and they achieve the goals of the armed groups. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Among the motives behind the killing of troops is creating popular responses against the refugees and exploiting them politically for the sake of incitement. over 9 years

Nasrallah: No one must be held responsible for the crimes of the terrorists and I stress that it is unacceptable to harm any innocent person or Syrian refugee. over 9 years

Nasrallah: I'm not trying to defend Hizbullah but rather to rectify the course in order to serve this cause. Let us support the government as it discusses the demands and let us devise plans to deal with any unexpected developments. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We should keep this case away from overbidding and political calculations. over 9 years

Nasrallah: No one in the world uses a single approach to deal with such a case. Several scenarios and options must be considered instead of relying on a single approach. Lebanon can have other choices and scenarios but they should not be discussed publicly or in the media. over 9 years

Nasrallah: It is normal to seek the help of friends and even rivals and to listen to the demands and engage in negotiations, but bowing to the death threats is unacceptable. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The government has the right to say we won't negotiate under the pressure of killing and slaughter. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Everything said by some politicians is baseless. We have told officials that the negotiators should inform us of the abductors' demands so that we study them before taking the decision. Anyone saying otherwise is a liar and hypocrite. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Lebanon has been suffering political humiliation for weeks due to some political practices. over 9 years

Nasrallah: The mediators and the kidnappers must be informed of Lebanon's cards of strength. over 9 years

Nasrallah: From the very first day, we have said that negotiations should be conducted from a position of strength. No one should deal with the kidnappers from a helpless position and all cards of strength must be put on the table before going to negotiations. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Anyone telling you that Hizbullah has rejected the principle of negotiations would be lying for political motives. We have never rejected the principle of negotiations at all. over 9 years

Nasrallah: It is normal to engage in negotiations and we had negotiated in an indirect manner over captives and the bodies of martyrs. Nowadays, we have martyrs and missing fighters and we have been negotiating for months, because this is the normal approach. We have never rejected the principle of negotiations. over 9 years

Nasrallah: This case is the responsibility of the government before anyone else and everyone must support and cooperate with the government in this issue. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Instead of blaming and condemning those who attacked the army, the accusations were made against other parties inside Lebanon. over 9 years

Nasrallah: Everyone should have offered help and cooperation to resolve the case, but unfortunately some parties have turned the case into a substance for debate, sectarian incitement and distortion of facts. They have made demands that exceed the demands of the captors themselves. over 9 years

Nasrallah: From the very beginning, all political forces in and outside cabinet and the media should have risen to the level of this cause. Everyone's goal must be to return the troops as soon as possible. over 9 years

Nasrallah: This is a humanitarian, national and ethical cause that does not concern a single region, side or party, but rather entire Lebanon. over 9 years

Nasrallah: A number of troops were taken hostage by the terrorist groups. I will not now discuss why and how that happened. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We salute the army and its steadfastness and bravery. over 9 years

Nasrallah: There is a distortion campaign that is being waged over the issue of the abductees. over 9 years

Nasrallah: We preferred to discuss things inside the cabinet and away from the media but I am obliged to talk now. over 9 years

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a televised address: We have avoided to take a stance on the issue of the captive troops because the kidnappers have their own mentality and calculations. over 9 years

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday denied claims that his group is preventing the government from negotiating over the Lebanese troops held by jihadist militants.

“It is normal to engage in negotiations and we had negotiated (with Israel) in an indirect manner over captives and the bodies of martyrs. Nowadays, we have martyrs and missing fighters (in Syria) and we have been negotiating for months, because this is the normal approach,” Nasrallah said in a televised address on the latest developments.

“We have never rejected the principle of negotiations,” he stressed.

“Anyone telling you that Hizbullah has rejected the principle of negotiations would be lying for political motives. We have never rejected the principle of negotiations at all,” Nasrallah underlined.

He noted that Hizbullah wants the negotiations to be conducted “from a position of strength.”

“No one should deal with the kidnappers from a helpless position and all cards of strength must be put on the table before going to negotiations,” he said.

Hizbullah's leader pointed out that the mediators as well as the kidnappers “must be informed of Lebanon's cards of strength.”

Nasrallah lamented that “Lebanon has been suffering political humiliation for weeks due to some political practices.”

“Everything said by some politicians is baseless. We have told officials that the negotiators should inform (the government) of the abductors' demands so that we study them before taking the decision. Anyone saying otherwise is a liar and hypocrite,” Nasrallah added.

He said the government has the right to say “we won't negotiate under the pressure of killing and slaughter.”

“It is normal to seek the help of friends and even rivals and to listen to the demands and engage in negotiations, but bowing to the death threats is unacceptable,” added Nasrallah.

He was referring to the execution of three captive troops -- Ali al-Sayyed, Abbas Medlej and Mohammed Hamiyeh – at the hands of the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front.

Both extremist groups have warned that more captives will be executed if the Lebanese authorities do not meet their demands.

The soldiers and policemen were taken hostage during deadly clashes between the two groups and the Lebanese army in and around the Bekaa border town of Arsal in early August.

“We should keep this case away from overbidding and political calculations,” Nasrallah emphasized.

He accused some sides of waging a “distortion campaign” over the issue of the abductees.

“Everyone should have offered help and cooperation to resolve the case, but unfortunately some parties have turned the case into a substance for debate, sectarian incitement and distortion of facts. They have made demands that exceed the demands of the captors themselves,” Hizbullah's leader added.

“This case is the responsibility of the government before anyone else and everyone must support and cooperate with the government in this issue,” he said.

On Monday, the Muslim Scholars Committee said “those obstructing the negotiations are within the cabinet.” And on Sunday, some families of abducted troops accused Hizbullah of obstructing the negotiations while holding talks with al-Nusra Front to free captive Hizbullah fighters.

Turning to the issue of the coalition formed by the U.S. to fight the IS group, Nasrallah said: “We are against these takfiri movements and we are fighting them. Our stance on these groups and the need to fight them is clear, but the issue of the U.S. military intervention is something else and it must be tackled from many angles.”

“We are against American military intervention and against the international coalition, whether the target is the (Syrian) regime or the IS. Our principled stance does not change from one arena to another and we don't accept that Lebanon become a member of this coalition," Hizbullah's chief noted.

“We are against the coalition because America is the mother and source of terrorism and because it is the ultimate supporter of Zionist state terrorism,” he added.

Nasrallah noted that U.S. President Barack Obama himself has announced that the coalition is aimed at “defending American interests.”

“This is not our business. All peoples in the region have the right to question America's motives,” he added.

The secretary-general also pointed out that it is not in Lebanon's interest to be in the U.S.-led international coalition, “not in line with the dissociation policy but because that poses threats to Lebanon.”

Lebanon “does not need” to be part of this coalition, he added.

“Lebanon can fight terror and it has succeeded in doing so through the army, security forces and perseverance,” Nasrallah said.

The U.S.-led coalition had started carrying out strikes against the IS and against al-Qaida-linked groups in Syria on Tuesday morning.

Syria had warned that any military action taken on its territory without coordination would be an "aggression" but it said Tuesday that Washington had notified it before the air strikes began.

Y.R.

Lebanon Politics

Comments 56

galaxy over 9 years

bullets are raining over Beirut from the southern suburbs!!!!

Sel B Rate (Guest) over 9 years

fending off flying a flying takfiri invasion

liberty over 9 years

they are thugs of the worst kind and they live among us pretending to be Lebanese. What business is it of this terrorist to go to Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, etc etc and then he preaches and gives orders to the government.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

hahahaha "liberty", we're so grateful to have you here to amuse us. getting lessons on being lebanese and foreign interventionism from an american is priceless :)

_mowaten_ over 9 years

hi keserwani, still having trouble sleeping at night? i suggest you see someone about your Nasrallah obsession, seems like it's eating at you :)

riveted (Guest) over 9 years

ok, tell us what the iranians told you to tell us we are super exited to know

ex-fpm over 9 years

Glad he admitted he negotiated and is negotiating with ISIL/Nusra for the release of his own prisoners.

ex-fpm over 9 years

He wants to negotiate from a position of strength. But Aoun said only a few days ago NO NEGOTIATIONS!

esquire (Guest) over 9 years

moe7, Your comment is baseless and not necessary true.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

anonyme: i know you guys aren't used to it, usually once bin saoud has spoken nobody deviates from the line, but over here each has an opinion and a voice of his own.
i understand it must be confusing for you, but you'll get used to it. eventually. or not. who cares?

EagleDawn over 9 years

amazing comment: full of substance, vision, and to the point. A troll by all definitions!

editorial (Guest) over 9 years

Nasrallah: Instead of blaming and condemning those who attacked the army, the accusations were made against other parties inside Lebanon. Everyone should have offered help and cooperation to resolve the case, but unfortunately some parties have turned the case into a substance for debate, sectarian incitement and distortion of facts.

Yep, the wholesale daily accusations and attacks on General Qahwagi by Assafir and Alakhbar!

lubnani.masi7i over 9 years

He keeps saying if you want to fight us come fight us in Syria and let us spare Lebanon. This sectarian thinks the world is his oyster?! Nassrallah; you can start a war but you will never bee able to end it and decide the when and where of its circumstances.

lubnani.masi7i over 9 years

the events showed how wrong nasrallah is: His enemy decided to fight him in Lebanon in return.

.karim-. over 9 years

Great reasoning, lubnani.salafi.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

lol lubnani.masisi you and your moderated beheaders will be smashed here or in syria or anywhere they do the mistake of thinking they are men.

memento over 9 years

If Hizbullah didn't help the Assad regime (which is not much better than ISIS btw, by all measures), the war in Syria would have ended years ago. But that would possibly have ended Hizbullah's existence in Lebanon as an armed terrorist organization.

Moe (Guest) over 9 years

The Christians and the Druze stand with Nasrallah, and the loyal Sunni should too. All Lebanese have an interest in a united front against terrorism. Those Sunni who perpetrated the attacks of the last couple of years should face justice, and all of those who support them should be arrested. The Sunni who love Da'esh more than Lebanon should be deported.

This is a great country, let's maintain it and let it thrive. There can be no sympathy for treason.

thepatriot over 9 years

He cares only about hezb prisoners... he will negociate, and bypass the government to privilege the release of his men rather than the soldiers of our nation!

Moe (Guest) over 9 years

I wonder when will you ever express an opinion

thepatriot over 9 years

Ft... the sky is blue... need some evidence??

lubnani.masi7i over 9 years

He says as a matter of principle he is opposed to foreign intervention in Syria specifically the American intervention. But nasrallah is not opposed to the iranian intervention in iraq as a matter of principle. This terrorist has no principles

popeye over 9 years

He is a professional and trained liar who will twist any scenario to suit his agenda.

bill.thebutcher over 9 years

ALL attempts to discredit this honorable Lebanese man are futile.
As much as all you M14ers love to hate him, we all know he speaks the truth...
yes, even M14ers know this...
So yell, swear, curse, cry...do and say whatever you please. It wont change a thing.
At the end of the day, HA will remain...and only grow stronger
sorry :)

canadianpaul over 9 years

stronger? Dude, it took us 30 years to drive the mighty Syrian army out of Lebanon. Your day will come. Patience my friend.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

of course you do takfirimission, monkeys love bananas.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

and lol canadianpaul trying to sound tough like he or the people he supports did anything. you didnt "drive" anything or anyone out of lebanon, present m14ers were docile syrian tools until syria decided to withdraw peacefully.

CFTC (Guest) over 9 years

the 'liar' (to say the less...) side knows very well they are going no where. Consequently, they add lies to lies...wishing that nobody will see it. But the worst is they are lying to themselves.
What can you expect from people who are lying to themselves ?

EagleDawn over 9 years

This creature is really unbelievable! He says if the international community wants to help lebanon they should help arm the LAF. OMG..! shameless ... how about giving some of your arms to the LAF and spare us your filth.

EagleDawn over 9 years

lol... he is welcoming the victory/agreement in Yemen while the Yemeni president just said hours ago it was a big conspiracy....pure filth. Also Bahrain.... LOL. I wonder what these two countries have in common.... shia perhaps? Pure sectarian

bill.thebutcher over 9 years

Nightmares???
Oh you mean like the ones you have when you realized Assad aint going now where?
Or when you realized HA isint going nowhere???
Or the nightmare you had when your dear Syrian rebels had their heads handed to them??
:)

memento over 9 years

It is absurd to even imply that Assad is staying for much longer. No matter how you look at it, there is absolutely no way that an agreement could possibly keep the regime in power. He has already run out of allies, and options. Iran is ready to negotiate its nuclear program, Russia was brought down to its knees with the Ukraine crisis and the economic sanctions that has practically left it ostracized by the rest of the world...

And the fact that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan are participating in the US air-strikes is but further proof that the strikes are not really aimed at ISIS, but more importantly at the Syrian regime.

Time will show...

bill.thebutcher over 9 years

texi texi texii

Your wet dreams will be your downfall :)

abbas.the.khabbaz (Guest) over 9 years

bill i have no doubt you mental problems

_mowaten_ over 9 years

hahahaha yea it fell 2568,59767,85.47 times, three years ago.

janoubi over 9 years

today a UAV fired a missile or missiles at a hideout in qalamoun where allegedly the soldiers are being held. Who is after killing the soldiers.... Nasrallah is.

nickjames over 9 years

Nasrallah: We are against American military intervention and against the international coalition, whether the target is the regime or the IS.

Are you jealous now that America is gonna take credit for fighting IS? How about you abide by the Baabda Declaration and bring your fighters back to Lebanon.

john (Guest) over 9 years

Why is it OK for the Hizb to fight IS in Syria and not the USA/UAE?? A bit hypocrytical dont u think???

_mowaten_ over 9 years

the differences are infinite, here are two pretty obvious ones for a start:

Hezbollah is there WITH the consent of Syrian legitimate authorities, AND defending our immediate borders. US is there without anyone's consent, thousands of kilometers from their own borders.

EagleDawn over 9 years

Did your terrorist leader get the consent of the lebanese government or parliament or people before he went into syria? Yes the differences are infinite, troll.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

he has all the consent he needs. but lol if you thought we were going to wait for your permission, or hujariri's

scorpyonn over 9 years

I think after ISIS ie eliminated we should eliminate Assad and Iran.

.karim-. over 9 years

Al Qaeda sympathizer infestation in 3...2...1...

.karim-. over 9 years

A lot of Al Qaeda sympathizers seem angry, LOL.

Mystic over 9 years

The side that struck Japan with nuclear bombs, committed atrocities in the Vietnam war and stood against Gaza in the 50-day war is not ethically eligible to present itself as a fighter of terrorism.

Golden Words ya Sayed.

thepatriot over 9 years

Ya Miystic....When your avatar is Imad Mughniyeh, the least you can do is to refrain from using words such as "atrocities", "ethical" or "fighter of terrorism"...tfeh!

hadi the autostradi (Guest) over 9 years

FT is still not convinced that the earth is not flat, please someone give him some proof otherwise.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

is that the m14 top 10 propaganda chart? i'm sure you can sing it m11+3er, at least then it would have some sort of substance.

.karim-. over 9 years

It is less evil to preach about death and destruction than to actually commit death and destruction, i.e. Samir Geagea massacring thousands of innocent Lebanese civilians in cold blood, and causing the displacement of tens of thousands of Christians across Lebanon during the civil war. Does that make sense, Jacks-off?

nickjames over 9 years

Exactly. Geagea isn't a pussy, that's why I have some respect for the dude. He didn't run away like a pansy (like Aoun) and he didn't hold on to his weapons (like Hezbollah). This slogan "Geagea killed Christians" is so lame. Aoun killed Christians (he did fight LF, didn't he?), Berri killed Shi3a, Hezbollah killed Shi3a, Syrian army killed Lebanese, and the list goes on and on. Everyone killed each other. Every faction betrayed each other. It was the most corrupt civil war in all of history, and all the warlords are guilty.

John (Guest) over 9 years

Your typing is awful. DO you have kids doing the transcription now?
And the "new" font is awful. Can't you see how it seperates words that don't need to be seperated? FIx this site. Don't let it go to waste..

liberty over 9 years

What an iranian agent, a criminal, a chief terrorist. He is also celebrating the fall of an arab capital Sanaa in the hands of Iran. A high ranking Iranian official boasted yesterday they now control 4 arab capitals: beirut, baghdad, damascus and now sanaa in yemen.

The Wolf Hunter (Guest) over 9 years

What goes around, comes around. From the speech you can realize that the main actor in Disneyland has realized the situation is turning quickly against him and I can say by all means that he is afraid.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

hahahaha so funny!!! really! :)
looking at your two worms thinking you're giving yourselves any sort of importance by throwing words from behind your keyboard is just hilarious.

_mowaten_ over 9 years

lol. i think you're starting to grow on me, i'm starting to find you endearing with all your pathos.

shab over 9 years

Filthy murdering militia