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EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Hezbollah Official Abdallah Kassir

Manuela Paraipan - 4/12/2005

Abdallah Kassir is a Member of Faithfulness to the Resistance Parliamentary Bloc, as part of the Hezbollah Party in the Lebanese Parliament.

Manuela Paraipan: What is Hezbollah's position towards the UN 1559 and the US policy in the region?

Abdallah Kassir: We noticed that many resolutions issued by UN were not implemented up until now and I can give you examples in this direction, like the UN resolution 194, 242 and 338. This fact leads us to doubt the honesty of the international community when asking for the urgent implementation of the 1559. We are also aware of the dominance of the big powers on UN Security Council's decisions. Although, we are looking forward to the UN community to help us free ourselves from any foreign interference, the circumstances make us believe that the UN is not allowed to work in a fair way.

We think that the UN 1559 represents a maneuver of France and US; actually it is an intersection of their interests in Lebanon and Syria. In this context we are not having a positive view on it. This resolution is here to fulfill the Israeli demands and interests in the Arab world.

In 1993 and 1998, Israel was the one asking for the disarming of Hezbollah, and now they have re-opened this issue again. They were asking our disarming while they were committing the massacres from Sabra and Shatilla and while they were hitting the UN center in Qana, killing 101 civilians and the Palestinian camps. However, their attacks did not succeed then.

We did not see any resolution coming about the Qana killings, or the US or France condemning Israel. When the ex-Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali said that Israel hit the UN bureau from Qana on purpose they ousted him from the job.

As for the US policy in the region we think that this pressure and interference are mainly causing disadvantages to the American people. They are going to pay because of the Bush administration wrong doings in the region. We believe that the American people are a friendly one and they love peace, but President Bush policy is not in their favor.

MP: What is Hezbollah's relation with the opposition, leaded by Walid Jumblatt? And why did you chose to join the Eil El Tineh gathering (Nabih Berri's gathering), known also as the pro-Syrian camp?

AK: We do not think that the opposition has only one program - there are many contradictions inside their group. We are ready to have a constructive dialogue with, let's say most parties of the opposition and to find a solution.

The opposition is talking about freedom, independence and sovereignty and we agree on all the above, but if the opposition is now asking Syria to stop interfering in Lebanon we also want them to ask the Americans the following: why did you (the Americans) do nothing to stop the Israelis when they were attacking Beirut and destroying our country?

As for our participation in Eil El Tineh, we are not by any means defending the mistakes of the Lebanese government or those of the Syrian government made in Lebanon. After all Hezbollah is the one who is paying for these mistakes.

In Ein El Tineh's meetings we are discussing the future of the country, not the internal policy of the government. As everyone knows, Hezbollah in the past 12 years has had numerous times a different perspective than that of the government, regarding the internal affairs.

MP: What do you hope to gain in the upcoming elections?

AK: Hezbollah wants a Parliament and a government that reflects the Lebanese society in its whole. We hope to see emerging a government that will fulfill the expectations of the Lebanese people and to realize that there are certain issues we must keep away from the Israelis pressure.

MP: Hezbollah has recognized publicly that it has Syrian and Iranian support. Nonetheless, Hezbollah is a Lebanese party and Lebanese resistance. Do you accept the foreign interference when it benefits you?

Syria and Iran helped Lebanon in a period when no one else did. On one hand, we have Syria who helped us with the army and then it helped us rebuild the state's institutions and on the other hand, we have the Americans who not only did they do nothing to help us, but they have encouraged the Israeli occupation in Lebanon, without criticizing or condemning the Israeli administration. At the time the Lebanese government asked their support but (received) nothing. The UN (resolution) 425 from 1978 asked the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon for 22 years, the US and the international community delayed the implementation of this resolution. In 2000, Hezbollah finally managed to free the major part of Lebanon of the Israeli armed presence and interference.

Also, very important is the fact that Syria and Iran, although they have helped us, they did not impose on them their interests, their agenda. Syria entered Lebanon having the US blessing to stop the civil war and then we have signed the Taef Accord - agreement that US approved.

I am not saying that the Syrians did not commit errors here, but there are many other positive aspects we cannot forget, regarding their presence in Lebanon. But, I am asking for one positive aspect of the US interference in Lebanon and I cannot find any.

MP: Sir, what is Hezbollah's position and policy towards the existence of Israel, as a state at your borders?

AK: Israel is a state built on terrorism. From the beginning of its presence in the region, it was a source of political and security tensions. We have lost our stability and peace because of Israel. Now, there are 4 million of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and all over the world because of Israel. Also, the Israelis had a role in the 80's civil war from Lebanon. We are not feeling safe, having it as our neighbor. Unfortunately, the Western media is saying that Hezbollah is attacking Israel when in fact we are facing the Israeli terrorist attacks towards us and our country almost on daily basis. Hezbollah did not hold weapons, before Israel attacked us. The reason behind the arming of the resistance was and still is the Israeli occupation of our land. We do not attack them - we only react to their attacks on us.

Also, we are confronted with the Israeli propaganda saying that we want to throw the Israelis into the sea. This is a big lie, and the world should not believe this propaganda, without checking the facts first.

MP: Do you have any information's about the ones who assassinated Rafiq Al Hariri and also does Hezbollah accept an international investigation in this case?

AK: We, as Hezbollah do not have any specific information's about the criminals who planned and carried the attack, but we are supporting the government in its attempt to bring the truth to the light. The international investigation in this case is not directly related to us, as we are a political party and not the state, but we welcome their interest and we hope to have soon clear, serious results.

MP: What is Hezbollah's vision regarding Lebanon?

AK: We hope to have a free, independent Lebanon, without any outside interference - not the French, the American, the Israeli or the Syrian one. Our cultural and religious diversity is a source of richness for Lebanon. We are an example that different cultures, religions can live in peace. We have just the opposite of what Israel wants - they want to be not only one people, one religion, but also one race.

MP: Hezbollah, besides its political activities, has its own resistance or militia as the West calls it. You run hospitals and schools, and you are the ones providing the poor Shiia families with health care services and very often with a monthly stipend. You are doing what the state should be doing - is Hezbollah in these conditions, a state within a state?

AK: All the political parties have these types of actions. According to the Lebanese Constitution, we are allowed to do that. But all our institutions are under the Lebanese law.

The concept of the West that Hezbollah is controlling certain areas of Lebanon is completely wrong. We are not a special case, as many believe.

On the other hand, if you are referring about the special security measures that are taken by Hezbollah when meeting one of our members, then it is true that we apply a tight security service, but that is only because each of us is a target for Israel.

MP: If there is anything else, you would like to add, please do so.

AK: We need to have the true reality and vision of Lebanon reflected in the West. Now, there are many Israelis and Americans who distort the reality, and this attitude is not bringing us or them any good.

Concerning Hezbollah's resistance - we do not say that we will not disarm, but let the Israelis give us back the Shebaa Farms, solve the Palestinian refugees problem, liberate our prisoners, and we say that we will take this alternative in our consideration. But we must receive serious guarantees that Israel will not attack us, if we want to settle down once and for all this problem.

In France, after the success of the French resistance, thousands of people were killed by the resistance. Although, the propaganda against Hezbollah is a powerful one, the reality proves that once we liberated the South, we did not kill the ones who cooperated with Israel. We were more civilized than the French resistance. Actually, the Israeli government was the one who delivered their agents in Lebanon to the Lebanese government.

As a political party we are all looking to enjoy peace and prosperity in a free and sovereign Lebanon. Above all, we respect the human beings more than anything else, and our social, cultural and political actions have proved it during the years.