Qassem to Connelly: We Do Not Need Your Advice over the Elections
Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed on Friday that the Lebanese people can handle their own affairs without political directions from any power.
He said addressing U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly: “We do not need your advice over the parliamentary elections or any other issue.”
“We reject the threats that you make every now and then,” he declared.
“We also do not want you to spread the repercussions of the Syrian crisis to Lebanon,” he added.
Connelly had told Future television in an interview on Wednesday that her administration had a problem in dealing with the outgoing cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati due to Hizbullah's presence in the government.
She hoped the line-up of the new cabinet will allow Washington to have better ties with the government of Lebanon, but stressed that the cabinet formation process is a purely Lebanese affair.
Connelly also called on Lebanon to dissociate itself from the conflict in Syria as much as possible, describing Hizbullah's involvement in the fighting as a blatant violation of Lebanon's self-dissociation policy and the Baabda Declaration, while noting that it has also created a dilemma for the party's supporters.
Qassem continued: “The U.S. itself is seeking to spread the Syrian crisis to Lebanon, Jordan, and nearby countries in order to change the circumstances on the internal Syrian scene.”
The Hizbullah official said the Lebanese people can tackle their concerns away from the Syrian crisis, calling against banking on the developments that may take place in the next few months.
“The developments in Syria cannot alter the situation in Lebanon,” he remarked.
Addressing the efforts to form a new government, he said that “a non-political cabinet is not a realistic one” because everyone in Lebanon is politicized.
“The government should therefore be a political one,” he stressed.
“The new government should include all powers and be a product of consultations among them,” he stated.
The cabinet should be able to tackle all of the country's concerns, ensure that the parliamentary elections are held as scheduled, and maintain security and political stability.
On the electoral law dispute, Qassem called for reaching an agreement over a law that offers real representation for various Lebanese powers.
Moreover, he voiced Hizbullah's readiness to confront strife in Lebanon without itself being dragged into the unrest.
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