Moussawi: US Refusal of Naturalization Doubtful

Hizbullah expressed on Wednesday doubts over the "seriousness" of the American refusal to support any plan to support the naturalization of the Palestinians in Lebanon.

According to a statement issued by the American embassy in Beirut, US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell confirmed to Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri that Washington would not support the full naturalization as Lebanese citizens of an estimated 250,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.

But Hizbullah international relations official Sayyed Ammar Moussawi told Al-Manar website on Wednesday that such American promises were doubtful. "We still look with suspicion towards the American intentions in the issue of naturalizing Palestinians in Lebanon," Moussawi said, adding that "all what the United States is doing signals that they have a complete scheme to resolve the Palestinian cause under the base of overthrowing the Right of Return."

Moussawi highlighted the "huge contradiction" between the announced US policy and the statements announced by visiting US officials to Beirut.

According to the Hizbullah official, the priority of the US policy is believed to come in harmony with the absolute support for the Zionist entity. "The American policy's priority is therefore safeguarding the "Israeli" interests in the region," he emphasizing, concluding that Lebanon is not a priority for the US administration. "Americans are dealing with the Lebanese scene only from the perspective of the Resistance and the challenge its arms constitute to the Zionist entity," he stressed.

Moussawi confirmed that the US intensive visits to Beirut are non-productive in any issue. "The Americans won't provide the Lebanese Army with effective weapons," he said while recalling of the conditions set by the US to weapon the army.

Even more, and according to Moussawi, the US administration proved during the last few days that it doesn't take into consideration the Lebanese interests. This reality was reflected by the American measures against Lebanese travelers at airports and the bill aimed at sanctioning the so-called "anti-American" media.

"The US law that targets media panels in the region is a form of terrorization and hegemony at one side but reflects at the other how the United States cannot anymore afford the criticism," he said.

"They are claiming that Al-Manar and some other channels are spreading hatred," he said. "In reality, it's the American policy and only the American policy that's spreading hatred."