Hajj Hassan says British public is now supporting our causes
Source: Agencies, 4-4-2009
BEIRUT: Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan returned on Thursday night to Beirut after a visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with British officials and gave an address at the House of Commons.
Speaking to reporters at the Rafik Hariri Airport, Hajj Hassan said his visit was not connected with the UK's recent decision to explore holding talks with Hizbullah's political wing.
The British government had been boycotting the Lebanese party since 2005.
"The British public opinion has changed. This is clearly reflected within the media. We work to change the international public opinion in favor of our causes as part of our media and political work," he said.
He called for making efforts to change the "fabricated and false image" presented by Israeli and foreign media of the "resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and the region."
Hajj Hassan said British MP George Galloway and another MP invited him two months ago to visit the UK as a member of the International Union of Parliamentarians for the Defense of the Palestinian Cause to participate in the opening of a new branch of the union in London.
He added that he met with lawmakers from both the Labor and Conservative parties.
On Wednesday, Hajj Hassan told the British House of Commons that the policies of the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, "paint a bleak picture for stability in the region after he failed to endorse the idea of a two-state solution."
"The next phase will be a bleak one because political vacuum is insupportable and because filling this vacuum will push region further into a state of tension and instability," Hajj Hassan said.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government will work to freeze the situation for four years as part a project to settle Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan," he added.
He then reiterated Hizbullah's commitment to defend the rights of the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has failed to explicitly endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state while his foreign minister said Israel was not bound by the 2007 Annapolis peace conference and will only abide by the 2003 "road map."
Speaking about Israel's summer 2006 war on Lebanon, Hajj Hassan said the Zionist state was plotting to displace "1 million southerners, who had fled their towns, with the aim of settling the Palestinians in the abandoned homes."
"However, [Hizbullah's] victory and the swift return of the displaced to their homes in the south filed the Israeli plot," the MP added.
He said his meetings with MPs from the Labor and Conservative parties "showed a great understanding to Hizbullah's position." He said the British government signaled its willingness for a more "open policy toward Hizbullah, which welcomes these meetings."
BEIRUT: Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan returned on Thursday night to Beirut after a visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with British officials and gave an address at the House of Commons.
Speaking to reporters at the Rafik Hariri Airport, Hajj Hassan said his visit was not connected with the UK's recent decision to explore holding talks with Hizbullah's political wing.
The British government had been boycotting the Lebanese party since 2005.
"The British public opinion has changed. This is clearly reflected within the media. We work to change the international public opinion in favor of our causes as part of our media and political work," he said.
He called for making efforts to change the "fabricated and false image" presented by Israeli and foreign media of the "resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and the region."
Hajj Hassan said British MP George Galloway and another MP invited him two months ago to visit the UK as a member of the International Union of Parliamentarians for the Defense of the Palestinian Cause to participate in the opening of a new branch of the union in London.
He added that he met with lawmakers from both the Labor and Conservative parties.
On Wednesday, Hajj Hassan told the British House of Commons that the policies of the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, "paint a bleak picture for stability in the region after he failed to endorse the idea of a two-state solution."
"The next phase will be a bleak one because political vacuum is insupportable and because filling this vacuum will push region further into a state of tension and instability," Hajj Hassan said.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government will work to freeze the situation for four years as part a project to settle Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan," he added.
He then reiterated Hizbullah's commitment to defend the rights of the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has failed to explicitly endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state while his foreign minister said Israel was not bound by the 2007 Annapolis peace conference and will only abide by the 2003 "road map."
Speaking about Israel's summer 2006 war on Lebanon, Hajj Hassan said the Zionist state was plotting to displace "1 million southerners, who had fled their towns, with the aim of settling the Palestinians in the abandoned homes."
"However, [Hizbullah's] victory and the swift return of the displaced to their homes in the south filed the Israeli plot," the MP added.
He said his meetings with MPs from the Labor and Conservative parties "showed a great understanding to Hizbullah's position." He said the British government signaled its willingness for a more "open policy toward Hizbullah, which welcomes these meetings."
