[Excerpt: The Muslim group was theoretically the only movement allowed to retain its arms after the end of the country's devastating 1975-1990 civil war because it was considered a resistance movement.]
http://www.jordantimes.com/thu/news/news8.htm Wednesday, April 06, 2005 5:39:34 PM UN shelves Hizbollah disarmament Larsen talks Wednesday to reporters in Beirut (AFP photo by Behrouz Mehri) BEIRUT (AFP) � The thorny issue of disarming Lebanon's Shiite movement Hizbollah, a main demand of neighboring Israel and its US ally, seems to have been shelved by both the United Nations and Lebanese politicians. UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen told reporters here Wednesday that disarming the anti-Israeli group, backed by Syria and its main regional ally, Iran, was not on the "action agenda" for the time being. UN Security Council Resolution 1559, passed in September, calls for an end to foreign military presence in Lebanon � a message to Syria � and for the disarming of all militias in reference to Hizbollah and Palestinian factions. "That particular requirement in the resolution has not been on the action agenda at this stage in my work as a special envoy for the implementation of the resolution," said Roed-Larsen. "We will continue our dialogue in this matter. I have primarily concentrated my efforts at this stage for the first report due later this month on the issue of Lebanon's sovereignty, the issue of the full withdrawal of the (Syrian) troops and military assets and the full withdrawal of the intelligence apparatus," he said. Roed-Larsen said he discussed Hizbollah's issue during his talks in Lebanon, but he did not wish to elaborate. The Muslim group was theoretically the only movement allowed to retain its arms after the end of the country's devastating 1975-1990 civil war because it was considered a resistance movement. Hizbollah continues to lead attacks on the Shebaa Farms border area. The territory, seized by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, is claimed by Beirut with Damascus' approval. Lebanese officials have considered that the disarming of Hizbollah could not be implemented as long as Lebanese territory was occupied by Israel. Much to the fury of Lebanon, the United Nations has declared that the May 2000 Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon had completely ended the Jewish state's occupation of Lebanese territory. On Wednesday, Roed-Larsen reiterated the UN's stand after Shebaa protesters presented him a memorandum asserting that the terrority was Lebanese and asking the international body to "review its unjust position towards this issue." Hizbollah, created by Iranian revolutionary guards in 1985, has grown into a well-structured party with a 12-member parliamentary bloc and a military wing with a capacity to mobilise about 10,000 combatants. Considered by the United States and Israel as a terrorist organisation, it has refused to give up its arms. Hizbollah's chief, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, recently challenged Washington to disarm his group � a demand that he considered as meant to "ensure the security of Israel." The Lebanese opposition, which has been calling for an end to Syria's military presence and political dominance, has considered Hizbollah's disarmament as an domestic issue. The opposition has not taken a clear position on the matter, but has at least confirmed that national consensus on the issue no longer existed. If the issue seems to have been shelved until at least after crucial legislative elections due by the end of May, the once taboo matter in Lebanon has effectively become subject to discussion. For the first time, MP Mohammad Raad, who heads the group's parliamentary bloc, mentioned in remarks published Wednesday the possibility of integrating Hizbollah fighters into a special unit within the regular Lebanese army. enditem ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. 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