Sheikh Qassem: We will not start war, but are well prepared

Source: Agencies, 06-03-2008
Hizbullah is prepared for a new war with "Israel", but it will not start one, deputy leader Naim Qassem said in remarks published on Wednesday. The occupation-resistance group also issued a statement criticizing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's reaction to recent statements from Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Qaasem also warned that "Israel" would pay "a high price" in any future war. His comments, published in the daily Al-Akhbar, followed last month's threat by Nasrallah to retaliate with "open war" against "Israel" for the assassination of one of his top commanders, Imad Moghnieh.
Moghnieh was killed February 12 in a car bomb in Damascus. Hizbullah and Iran, its main backer, blamed the assassination on "Israel", which denied any role in killing Moghnieh, who was on the US most-wanted list for a string of anti-Western and anti-"Israeli" attacks.
Asked if there will be war, Qassem said, "Hizbullah cannot confirm, because it does not want to initiate it."
"The ‘Israelis' know they have to pay a high price in any war," he said, adding that Hizbullah "is well prepared to face an "Israeli", American and international war." He was perhaps referring to the recent deployment of US warships off Lebanon's coast; a move the US has said was aimed at protecting its interests in the region.
"Israel" launched a war against Hizbullah in the summer of 2006 after the group seized two "Israeli" soldiers in a border raid. The war killed more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 159 on the "Israeli" side, mostly soldiers.
After the 34-day war, a 13,500-strong UN force, along with 15,000 Lebanese troops, were deployed along the Lebanese-"Israeli" border to monitor a UN cease-fire.
Asked if the peacekeepers and Lebanese troops would have an effect on Hizbullah's activity, Qassem said the group "was able to adapt to the new reality and has fully rebuilt its force and it is completely ready. This new situation made [Hizbullah] create new methods."
Earlier this week, Ban told the Security Council in a report that "Israel" said Hizbullah was rearming and had an arsenal including 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in South Lebanon.
While Ban's report did not confirm "Israel's" claim, the UN chief reiterated his concern about Hizbullah's public statements and persistent reports pointing to breaches of a UN arms embargo, which bans weapons transfers to the group.
Ban also expressed concern over Nasrallah's "threats of open war against ‘Israel'."
In a statement released late on Tuesday, Hizbullah criticized Ban's report, saying it lacked objectivity.
Hizbullah said that when Nasrallah spoke of "open war" he also spoke of Hizbullah's "right of self-defense legitimized ... by international laws."
The group urged Ban to "show proof of more objectivity and impartiality" when speaking about the region.
It said he had failed "to put into their proper context" the remarks made by Nasrallah.
"We are keen to avoid any destabilization of the region and share the secretary general's concern on the climate of instability in the region," the Hizbullah statement said.
It added, however, that the United Nations must not "adopt the point of view of one party" when commenting about international resolutions.