Sheikh Qassem Sees Unity Government Post-Election, Welcomes British Position

 
Source: Al-Manar TV, 9-3-2009

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem welcomed on Monday a review of policy towards Hizbullah by Britain, which said it is willing to talk to the 'political wing' of the group, a few months after banning it.

"We welcome this British revision and perhaps there will be meetings in the coming days," his eminence told Reuters in an interview. "There is no request for a meeting but we expect this to happen soon," Sheikh Qassem said, adding that Hizbullah already had "wide contacts" with other European governments.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Qassem said that he expects Lebanon's parliamentary elections to produce a unity government that will be internationally recognized even if the Resistance group and its allies win a majority.

His eminence forecast a narrow victory for Hizbullah and its allies in the national opposition, and said he expected the formation of another national unity government after the June 7 election. "I expect that there will be a government of national unity, regardless of who is the loser or winner," Sheikh Qassem said, emphasizing at the same time that he had not the "slightest concern of a boycott" of the government were Hizbullah and its allies to win a majority.

"We are meeting with delegates of European states and international institutions and they tell us clearly ... that they will deal with whoever wins, even if the opposition wins," Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General declared.

In another topic, Sheikh Qassem said it was too early to see "wide effects" from a thaw in ties between Riyadh and Damascus "but we can detect a climate of political detente in Lebanon because of this rapprochement".

However, his eminence pointed out that Arab states should not "invent a problem called Arab-Iranian relations". The United States, which has close ties with Arab countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, aimed to "instigate an Arab-Iranian problem for the benefit of "Israel"", Sheikh Qassem added.

Sheikh Qassem concluded the interview by reiterating Hizbullah belief that there wouldn't be another conflict with "Israel" in the near term. "But in the distant future all things are possible," his eminence added. With Benjamin Netanyahu set to lead a new government in "Israel", Sheikh Qassem stressed that he saw no chance of progress in any peace talks between the Zionist entity and Syria and the Palestinians.