Raad Says 'National Interest Govt.' Suggested by Salam Opens Door to 'Serious, Honest Dialogue'

Head of Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad on Monday said Hizbullah is seeking “stability and calm,” noting that the “national interest government” suggested by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam “opens the door to a serious and honest dialogue.”

“We are seeking stability and calm and we know how to evaluate and calculate things,” Raad said at a memorial service in the southern town of al-Babliyeh.

“We see in the appointment of PM-designate Tammam Salam, and in the indications that started with his first statements, that he is nonpartisan and belongs, like he said, to the 'bloc of the entire country',” Raad added.

The top Hizbullah official noted that Salam seems to be seeking cooperation with everyone and to be keen on “achieving the higher national interest.”

Raad said “the term 'national interest government' opens the doors to a serious and honest dialogue among everyone in order to reach a common diagnosis that achieves the country's interest.”

He called for “interacting with this proposal and working positively without dropping the precautions from our calculations.”

"With all due vigilance and positivity, we will cooperate and take part in the responsibility of preserving security and stability," Raad added.

"Amid the developments taking place around us, perhaps some parties decided to rest and reevaluate their stances, so they nominated for the premiership a figure who reflects openness and tolerance of all opinions,” Raad went on to say.

He pointed out that “it is noteworthy that the government of caretaker PM Najib Miqati was met with a 'day of rage', as the uproar, sit-ins, burning of tires, blocking of roads and sectarian incitement continued, but the very moment Miqati resigned, all these coals were put out and everything ended.”

Raad voiced regret over "the wasted chances, as they could have assumed power through other methods."

"The most important reason for protecting Lebanon and its sovereignty and stability is preserving the resistance and embracing this choice, and the biggest danger threatening Lebanon's existence and interests is the Israeli enemy which does not heed any charters, political equations or international rights and obligations," Raad added.

Salam on Sunday stressed that resistance against Israel is legitimate, but noted that “the decisions of war and peace must rest in the hands of the Lebanese state.”

In an interview with BBC, Salam revealed that Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi relayed to him a message from Iran's leadership on Sunday, in which Tehran “wished him success in forming a new cabinet and stressed its keenness on the resistance.”