Nasrallah: "Hariri believed resistance should keep its arms until Lebanon reaches a final settlement with "Israel",

Source: Daily Star, 15-2-2006
BEIRUT: Symbolic delegates representing Hizbullah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement were silent participants in Tuesday`s demonstration. The other groups from the March 8 camp organized their own modest gatherings to mark the passing of a year since former Premier Rafik Hariri`s assassination, "strictly to sympathize with members of the Hariri family and pay tribute to late Hariri`s character and good services to the country."
Members of Hizbullah and the FPM said they had refrained from rallying at Martyrs` Square due to expectations the leaders of the March 14 Forces would "politicize the event and stir friction among the opposing crowds."
In a prerecorded interview with Al-Manar, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said he misses Hariri "in these crucial times."
"Had Hariri been among us today he would have easily overcome most of the hard obstacles facing the country," he added.
Nasrallah said his statements were not meant to diminish the role played by MP Saad Hariri, but "the experiences gained by the father were so valuable and indispensable.
"We got to know Hariri well only a few months before he was assassinated," he said. "We discussed and agreed on most national issues, including the Taif Accord, the resistance, how to build a strong central authority that would protect every citizen in the country."
Nasrallah quoted Hariri as saying "Lebanon cannot be ruled from Damascus nor can it be ruled against Damascus." He further recalled that Hariri had believed that Lebanon was in a state of war with "Israel", regardless of whether actual clashes took place.
"In Hariri`s view, the issue of the resistance`s weapons is not linked to Shibaa Farms or the Lebanese prisoners, but the resistance should keep its arms until Lebanon reaches a final settlement with "Israel"," he said.
A gathering in Jal Al-Dib to commemorate Hariri`s assassination was attended by Hizbullah and FPM representatives, as well as Communist Party leader Khaled Hedadeh.
The Amal Movement organized its own commemoration in Tyre in cooperation with a several political and religious figures, including a representative from the Future Movement.
Speakers at the event called for national unity, insisting the late Hariri would have done the same "had he been still alive."
In an article written for the occasion and published in the Hariri-owned Al-Mustaqbal daily, FPM leader Aoun said: "Until we uncover the truth and punish Hariri`s killers, the political leaders must work toward settling their differences and uniting the country in the face of all challenges."