Lebanon Update -- Hizbollah says "No"

BBC reports:

Hezbollah's leader has said it will keep its weapons, despite pressure from US President George W Bush to disarm.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said the group, a powerful pro-Syrian political and military movement in Lebanon, needed to protect the country from Israel.
....
Speaking in a televised debate, Mr Nasrallah insisted Hezbollah would remain armed in the face of US demands and despite Syria's pull-back under international pressure.

"I'm holding on to the weapons of the resistance because I think the resistance ... is the best formula to protect Lebanon and to deter any Israeli aggression," Reuters news agency quotes him as saying.

Mr Nasrallah said the group's arms would not be used domestically but only against Israeli forces.

Read the whole thing here.

Several points to note here:

First, there was a "televised debate." The openness of the Lebanese revolt is amazing. Major figures are debating their actions and positions in front of a national audience.

Second, Israel is still an important factor in what happens in Lebanon. Hizbollah's very existence is justified by the memory of previous Israeli incursions. This is why idiot stunts by Israel's allies, and provocative statements by Israeli spokesmen, in the area are so dangerous.

Third, Narsallah, while defying international pressure and refusing to disarm, is careful to give assurance that the arms would not be used domestically. Here he is signaling his willingness to enter into normal political dialogue with other Lebanese factions as well as his refusal to accept disarmament as a precondition for such dialogue. There's an opening here for progress, but it has to be handled carefully.

The great threat to Lebanese independence right now is disunity. It is imperative that the opposition coalition holds together and that some working agreement be developed that includes Hizbollah.

Finally: I wonder to what extent Hizbollah intransigence is fostered by Iranian influence. Iran knows that Lebanese independence and the neutralization of Syria frees the US to focus its attention eastward from Iraq.