أرشيف موقع العهد الإخباري من 1999-2018
ارشيف من : 2005-2008
Nasrallah speaks to Party graduates, addresses political deadlock
merciful, the compassionate.
Praise be to God and peace and prayers be upon our master and prophet, the last of all prophets, Abu-al-Qasim, Muhammad Bin-Abdallah, his righteous household, his righteous and chosen companions, and upon all prophets and messengers. Brothers and sisters, may God`s peace and blessing be upon all of you. At the beginning, in your name, we should congratulate the Muslims and Christians on their great and glorious days, which they celebrate these days. We should particularly mention here the glorious birthday of the master of mankind, the last of the prophets, God`s greatest messenger, Muhammad Bin-Abdallah, may God`s peace and blessing be upon him and upon his household. During our blessed ceremony, my speech will consist of two parts. The first part is related to the nature of the occasion, and the second part will discus recent developments in the political situation. First, it is my duty to address the honourable relatives, every father and mother, and every family, that had worked hard and tirelessly and endured the difficult living conditions, and secured to their son or daughter the chance of continuing the university study until graduation. This is some of the prerequisites of Jihad, especially since Jihad, according to the definition of Islam and the prophet, is not confined only to the military and combat circle, although fighting in defence of dignity, homelands, and honour, which necessitates sacrificing one`s self and soul, is the highest and greatest prerequisite of Jihad. However, the concept and meaning of Jihad is more comprehensive. The prophet, may God`s peace and blessing be upon him, says: "Anyone who works hard to support his family is like the mujahid in the cause of God." This father, this mother, and this family, which works hard and endures these difficult living conditions, and tries to secure to its children an honourable, reasonable, acceptable, and dignified life, should know that this is Jihad in the cause of God. This is the Jihad of fathers, mothers, and families. I would like to thank them because they have this faith in the must of having their children continue their education and learning, and because they have spared no effort for the sake of this.
"From among the honourable families, I would like to particularly address the martyrs` families, the families whose sons were martyred during the recent confrontations in the July war. In 2006, those martyrs were supposed to get their university certificates, as well as the students who were still continuing their university study. These families might have a special emotional feeling at such a moment, particularly at the moment when the brother and sister graduates were entering the hall and reviewing their blessed presence before our eyes. We can simply realize the feelings of every father and mother. Every father, every mother, and every family wished that their son was among the graduates. I would like to tell these families a word of consolation. In other words, what your sons tried to achieve should be as it actually was for you. I am not telling you something new, but this is a word that must be said. They should be the object of pride. If we are today, ! I, the brothe rs, the officials, the scholars, and this esteemed audience, celebrating these young male and female graduates, your martyr sons today are being celebrated by God`s prophets, messengers, saints, and angels, in that world, the world of the lasting peace and eternal paradise.
"Furthermore, from the reality of our social environment, I know full well, just as it is the case of our poor and oppressed families, the father and mother work hard and endure in the hope that their son or daughter grow up and become able, particularly the son, to obtain a certain educational degree that makes him get some work or a certain job to support them when they become old. This is how our poor families usually think. The martyrs` families here might miss their sons. However, the son who remains alive, and we like him to remain alive, will support you in this world. However, this world will eventually vanish. Your martyr sons will serve as support of you on the Day of Judgment. "That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, And from his mother and his father, And from his wife and his children. Each one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others." The day when one, for the sake of going to paradise and escaping G od`s punishment, wish to sacrifice his family, all people, heavens, earth, and all that exists, just to save him from punishment. However, our stories and the sayings of our prophet, the prophet of mercy, Muhammad, may God`s peace and blessing be upon him and his family, tell us that our martyr sons on the Day of Judgment - we, the families who will come on the Day of Judgment without knowing the results of our deeds, what we have saved for that day and that world, and what we did in this world while we are in a state of worry and fear, and perhaps some of us are ordered to go to hell - our martyr sons stand to say O God, we have fought in your cause and were martyred under your flag, and you promised us paradise and intercession, O God, we will not enter paradise until our parents enter it before us. Those martyrs are your real support when you need support. Therefore, I hope that there will be no empty place in the hearts of the fathers and mothers of the martyrs who were suppos ed to be at our ceremony. This also applies to all the martyrs` families.
"...You are today making this headline. What is the significance of standing in a row by more than 1,700 male and female students as university graduates who are affiliated with a certain movement or a specific party? This has a great significance. Anyone who looks at you from outside, of those who love you and wager on you, will be pleased. Anyone who envies you, hates you, and rejects your existence, will have his heart removed from its place. Yes, this is us. This is also included in another headline. Just see the vitality, the vitality of Hezbollah. Allow me to talk about Hezbollah today. We always talk about the opposition and the nationalist line. Hezbollah`s vitality today represents one of, and I do not say that it is the most important one, the most important vitalities in Lebanon and in the Arab and Islamic region. It is one of the little vitalities. Talking about vitality, I mean talking about a popular, faithful, and enlightened movement, which is full of vigour, emotion, and enthusiasm. However, it possesses a high degree of knowledge, awareness, and comprehension. It also knows its goals and is faithful to its goals. It knows its way and proceeds on its way. It is a movement that is vibrant with the life, vigour, determination, and will of youths.
"This apparent vitality is embodied by various scenes. In the resistance, this vitality tops the highest of its ranks, as well as in political action, educational action, in you, male and female graduates, the university presence, in the various and diverse institutions, in the various and diverse activities, and in all fields and arenas. This is despite the fact that light is usually focused on the resistance or political side, especially since the country is preoccupied with these two issues. However, they ignore the great and mighty efforts that our brothers and sisters make in the other institutions, frameworks, and areas, and on all levels and in all fields all over the homeland and in all dimensions. Today, we are witnessing a movement that has this vitality, this strength, this presence, this faithfulness, this persistence, this seriousness, this diligence, this hope, and this horizon that is open to the future.
"Of course, the enemies of Lebanon and the enemies of the nation do not want to see such vitality, neither in Lebanon, nor in Palestine, or elsewhere. They want us as lazy and ignorant peoples, peoples locked in backwardness, darkness, despair, and meanness. They want us as peoples with no hope for victory, pride, dignity, civilization, and a material, moral, or political future. They want us to remain slaves and subservient to them. They want to loot our wealth and use us in their factories and benefit from us as consumers for their goods. I am not talking about material goods only, but also about cultural and intellectual products, media, norms, and customs and the likes. However, as for certain vitality to spring from the will, culture, intellect, civilization, faith, values, norms, and customs in this form and in this size, this is something that they do not want at all.
"Therefore, yes, what was clearly announced during the recent war by the US and Israeli officials to the effect that the objective of the July war was the destruction of Hezbollah and the entire infrastructure of the resistance, was not a new objective. They have been working on this objective for 25 years. For 25 years, we have continued to be chased, killed, captured, arrested, and imprisoned. They have been working on excluding us and besieging us. They have been launching a psychological warfare since our inception. There are also the political, material, and economic pressures on us and on the environment hosting us. This is not new and we got used to it and coexisted with it. Therefore, we have become stronger than any psychological warfare, threats, siege, and intimidation. However, they did not despair and they are continuing to work on this.
"Throughout 25 years, no one single year or two years passed without them saying that Hezbollah will end at the end of this year. However, after every ordeal, difficulty, and confrontation, with God`s help and care, we used to emerge stronger and mightier. Our determination and will are stronger than at any time before. Even in the year 2000, as you may recall, when the talk began about withdrawals, articles and studies were written in Lebanon and the Arab world to the effect that the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 will mark the end of Hezbollah, taking into consideration that Hezbollah will lose the reason for its existence. This is as if the reason for our existence is only the existence of an occupied land here or there. However, what happened after 2000? Hezbollah proved its presence, strength, vigour, and continuation. In this war too, there was an international and Arab wagering. Yes, he was right the one who said that in July war we confronted a world war ag! ainst the res istance, but we have achieved victory in this world war over all those who pinned failing hopes on our defeat, destruction, and elimination.
"This vitality is sometimes confronted with the headline of besieging the resistance, with the talk that there is no longer any need for resistance, or with the decision of war and peace and the likes; and some other time it is confronted in its political, civilian, and social dimension under the headline or the saying of a state within a state. You can say whatever you like. Say anything you want about the resistance. Say whatever you want about our political and civilian dimension. This will add nothing new to the fact. When you become a state, then you may come and call on us not to be a state within a state.
"The state which allows the invasion of Lebanon and the occupation of its capital is not a state. The state which did not do anything - except during some recent stages - to regain the occupied Lebanese territory is not a state. A state which cannot control the entirety of its lands without the help of its enemy and the killing of its people i! s not a state. A state which colludes against its people, folks, and the most honourable resistance in its country is not a state. The state that did not defend its people during the July war is not a state. The state which receives money from Arab and non-Arab donor states and store it in its treasury and leave the people`s houses and institutions demolished and destroyed without helping or extending aid to them is not a state. The state which does not know anything about the state other than collecting fees and taxes, and the state which only knows calculation but does not master anything else other than addition, multiplication, and subtraction is not a state and does not deserve to be a state.
"In light of this, I do not agree that we are a state within a state. However, if I agree with you on this, the solution will be easy like the solution to the resistance issue. On 22 September, I said a word to the effect that the resistance issue does not need conferences or lengthy discussions. Go and establish a strong and powerful state capable of protecting Lebanon, the land of Lebanon, and the water of Lebanon. After some years, and I think you hear the news about the ozone or I do not know what, a tragedy will befall the whole world. A large percentage of plants and animals will vanish. There will be a water problem, and we have water, and their argument is very strong to the effect that our water goes to the sea. Will we have a state that can protect Lebanon`s waters at the coming stage at a time when it cannot protect the Al-Wazzani spring? This is a big question.
"Therefore, on the resistance issue I say do not give yourselves the trouble of launching a war against it, excluding it, besieging it, or instigating the people against it. You should lose hope for this. The only solution to resistance is to have a strong state and a strong army to make the Lebanese people feel that this army can confront any Israeli aggression against Lebanon and foil the objectives of any aggression just as the resistance did during the July war. We are not asking for miracles from the Lebanese Army. We will not ask it to liberate the seven villages and Palestine or restore Bayt al-Maqdis. We say that we want a Lebanese national army that protects Lebanon, its land, water, airspace, and people. Find this army and the resistance issue can be solved easily. This also applies to the other dimension, just like the first dimension, which is the misinformation campaign regarding a state within a state. These tales are going on, starting from George Bush and down . This circulation comes from up.
"This will add nothing new to the fact. It will not discourage us from continuing our institutional, educational, and university work. It will not stop us from helping the people or extending a hand to them, especially since we believe this is one of our duty which God`s messenger, may God`s peace and blessing be upon him, orders us to do. Otherwise, I will not be faithful or Muslim if I do not care about the people`s ! conditions and I only care about my own affairs, and say whether there is a state or not to be responsible for them, this is not my business. We are completely out of this formula and this kind of culture. Before finishing this part, I say that they will not be able to eliminate this vitality, taking into consideration that is stems from firm bases and have the elements of continuation. It is not imported. Our thought did not come from the east of the west, it springs from here. This is the land of prophets and messages. We are the followers of Noah, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and Muhammad, may God`s peace and blessing be upon him. Those are the prophets of this land, the prophets of these peoples, and the prophets of this region. We belong to the region of the foundation of civilizations, cultures, religions, and philosophy. Consequently, we are not imported. We have this affiliation, and we are a popular movement that is embraced by its people.
"It is a movement that has its credibility. It is a movement that is full of youths, a movement that is faithful in its performance and behaviour, and a movement that has a clear, rightful, and holy cause. Therefore, our story with them is a long one. Hezbollah is now 25 years old. This means that we are in the prime of youth. So, if they get stuck with us, then this will be when we are 25 years old. Until when will we continue to be young as Hezbollah? I say at least for 25 years. Add to this another 25 years, manhood will become mature. This means that they will continue to be stuck with us for 50 years. I tell you that until the face of the region changes, and even until the face of the world changes, you will not have to wait for 50 years.
"On the political situation, there is no doubt that we are passing through a critical and very important stage in Lebanon`s history. What are currently taking place in the political arena are not skirmishes, tactics, or a conflict over partial issues. The others also say the same thing. They say that the conflict is over Lebanon`s identity, affiliation, true nature, and position. They say this. So, they are waging a struggle to change the identity, the position, and the true nature. The issue is not that of 19+11, 13+14, or I do not know what. This is the outside appearance of the story. The issue is much deeper than this. I know you are living the situation, but to make the picture complete, I will gradually discuss the idea I want to talk about. Since the martyrdom of Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, a team was clearly formed. It receives strong international backing. I do not think that there had ever been in Lebanon a political team that received this size of clear interna tional support. An internationally backed Lebanese political team set the plan of controlling Lebanon, particularly the state institutions in Lebanon, all the state`s political, legislative, procedural, judicial, security, military, and administrative institutions. From the very beginning, it decided that it is the only Lebanese team that is internationally entrusted with accomplishing a mission. It is not a mission of control and power only, but it is the mission of completely moving Lebanon to the US position. This includes all that this position entails in terms of obligations towards the region or hostil! ities towards the neighbouring states, as well as obligations towards Israel, whether regarding the resistance issue, the settling, or the issue of security arrangements.
"They have used the blood of martyr Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. Some sides blamed me on 8 March when I said do not exploit this blood politically. They used this blood and confronted all of us with it. Anyone who does not vote for their lists is the murderer of martyr Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. Today, those who demand the 19+11 government and a national unity government are the killers of martyr Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. They took this blood and provoked many sides` emotions, feelings, and sentiments, and Lebanon was put face to face with a real challenge. After this, the implementation of the plan began. The first step was to dominate the Chamber of Deputies. I will discuss one institution after another, and I will say where they succeeded, where they failed, and where they are still trying, so as to reach the conclusion with which we will deal in light of the recent developments.
"Regarding the Chamber of Deputies, they held hasty elections. I attended the negotiations, and they told me frankly that we do not delay the elections even for one month or two months. This is because President Bush announced that the elections will take place on that day. This means that the holding of the elections on the day they were held was a commitment by the other team to the US Administration. You all say that the 2000 law is unfair. Even his beatitude, the Patriarch, had almost launched a very big uprising, taking into consideration that this law does not allow the Christians to represent themselves properly. However, the patriarch was calmed down and they implemented the 2000 law. All sides say that the 2000 law is unfair and corrupt, but under the table, most of them, particularly all members of that team, wanted the 2000 law. They tried to blame the Amal Movement and Hezbollah at the time. However, they themselves want the 2000 law.
"Sometimes, Speaker Nabih Birri says I speak for myself and on behalf of Hezbollah, and I say that I want now to speak in my own name and on behalf of the Amal Movement. This is particularly true after Speaker Nabih Birri announced his readiness to approve the Judicial Law. As for us, whether you go by district, sub-district, governorate, central, majority, proportional, anything you want, we have no problem with this. But they insisted on the 2000 law. This is because they expected that the 2000 law will give them the majority. The parliamentary elections were held and this Chamber of Deputies was established on the basis of an unfair electoral law and on the basis of alliances which they formed with us. It seems that from the very beginning, they had the intention to violate these alliances. This means that they have premeditatedly practiced the electoral and political deception and treachery with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. This Chamber of Deputies is the outcome of a corrupt law and a deceptive alliance. This Chamber of Deputies was elected and they had what they call the majority, which they won in this way. The step to fully control the Chamber of Deputies was foiled due to the strong presence of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah in the political arena. Based on this, it was difficult for that team, while we were at the beginning of the alliance, to disregard the Amal Movement and Hezbollah regarding the issue of electing the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.
"They did not want a deputy speaker to be a member of parliamentary delegations, but they wished that the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies be a member of the delegations that are led by a deputy. They had wished this, but this did not happen. Here, they have failed. When the issue reached the point of reelecting Speaker Nabih Birri, then this means that this institution is headed by a real political, constitutional, and legal guarantee which will prevent these people from tampering with the Constitution and the law. This is represented today by Speaker Nabih Birri. Let us say that they have achieved partial success. I cannot say that they have taken control of the Chamber of Deputies. They are saying today that the Chamber of Deputies is obstructed. It is not obstructed.
"Second - this explanation needs a long time. In fact, it needs a TV interview so that one can speak as he wants. However, as much as time allows - Second, they reached the point of the formation of the government. In the formation of the government, they have deliberately excluded some political forces, taking into consideration that they believe that they cannot trust some of these forces for their plan, and that these forces were not ready to continue with their plan to the end. Thus, they were excluded. Amal and Hezbollah and ministers for His Excellency President Emile Lahhud joined the government based on the rule that there is a political agreement or political guarantees, and that through our presence in the government we might be able to foil any trusteeship, the submission to trusteeship, or the implementation of plans that are sought to be imposed on Lebanon.
"Nevertheless, they have formed a government under their leadership and whose majority belongs to them. They wanted to continue with their attempts to control this institution. I also say here that this achievement was not completed. This does not mean that they did not take the government, they have taken the government. However, this achievement was not completed. This is because at a carefully-studied and calculated moment, as a result of the exposure of many commitments, obligations, and plans, the six ministers left the government to put it under the guillotine of the legitimacy and the law. In the minimum level, there is a government in Lebanon today, but there are major Lebanese forces which say that this government is illegitimate. The President of the Republic says this, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies says this, 57 deputies at least say this, and more than half of the Lebanese people say this. The important result of the withdrawal of the six ministers is to prevent that team from controlling the executive branch of authority. Consequently, it has in the minimum put this executive branch of authority under a constitutional and legal question. This is although they have taken precautionary measures for this day. I will discuss the next points, but this is regarding the Chamber of Deputies and the government.
"After the formation of the government, they considered the Chamber of Deputies and the government as theirs. However, one position has continued to firmly stand fast. It is the position of the presidency. They had launched a fierce campaign against the President of the Republic. They had also launched a campaign to make the president flee his office. Do you recall this? However, they have fled, but he did not flee. They had also made threats in the streets and burst into loud laments. Here, the international community came to strongly support them by boycotting the President of the Republic. However, there are two key reasons - if you remember they set a deadline to go to B`abda to take control of it - there are two very important reasons that have foiled the achievement of this objective, and they failed. God willing, His Excellency the president of the Lebanese Republic will remain in power until the last moment of his term in office.
"The first reason is that Emile Lahhud is a real man. This is with all due respect for not mentioning his title. Another one, other than Emile Lahhud, cannot endure this, taking into consideration that he hears daily insults, slanders, impolite words, immoral and impudent words, articles, and nonsense. They had done everything they could against Emile Lahhud, except physical liquidation. However, the man remained there, he remained strong there, and he remained proud there. When he previously travelled to Khartoum in light of this campaign, and recently to Riyadh, he was indeed the loyal guard and true defender of the Lebanese national constants and interests. The second reason is the strength of the opposition. Who would topple Emile Lahhud? There are people, political forces, and a large public that cannot be ignored. So, they have failed in this third institution. We have so far spoken about the Chamber of Deputies, the government, and the presidency. At the Constitutional Council, yes, at the Constitutional Council, they have succeeded. They came and cancelled the Constitutional Council.
"A few days ago, Speaker Nabih Birri said that they do not need a Chamber of Deputies because the UN Security Council is their Chamber of Deputies. The government prepares plans and sends them to the UNSC. I want to add to this by saying that they also do not a Constitutional Council. The UNSC is the Constitutional Council. Who can today tell whether this government is legitimate or illegitimate? It is the UNSC, not the Constitutional Council. Ban Ki-moon and all UNSC members have now become experts in the Lebanese Constitution. This means that Lebanon, which barely appears on the international map, now has all these experts in our constitution who now rule Lebanon. In the first place, when they cancelled the Constitutional Council, they have torpedoed the existence of any constitutional authority to be referred to today.
"They are imitating the Ukraine. One day, on 8 March I said that Lebanon is not the Ukraine. It is true, Lebanon is not the Ukraine. However, it seems that the Ukraine is like Lebanon. The Ukrainian president now wants early parliamentary elections, and the government wants early presidential elections. Thus, a quarrel began on this issue. Here they took to the street and there they took to the street. Eventually, however, the Ukrainians are more democratic than this Lebanese team. They did not dissolve their Constitutional Court, to which the two sides agreed to refer to it. Here, however, they have cancelled the Constitutional Council so that there will be no place to refer to, whether regarding the constitutional status of the government, the constitutional nature of the laws, or the constitutional status of some deputies whose representation is contested. There will be a bigger problem tomorrow to the effect that the discussion has started today. What is the quorum of the Chamber of Deputies? Is it two thirds of the Chamber of Deputies or the absolute majority? They will elect a president in the future, if they can do so, based on an absolute majority. They will not need a Constitutional Council because the UNSC will approve the president they will elect. This is because they will not elect a president. George Bush will tell them, taking into consideration that they are accustomed to be told who will be the president. Here they are not used to electing a president, but they are used to be told who the president is. The UNSC will tell them this is a constitutional, legal, and legitimate president. They have cancelled the Constitutional Council, and thus, they have succeeded in this. We now move to the judicial authority. Yes, they have taken control of the judicial authority.
"Today, assassinations and bombings are the most serious issue in Lebanon. The judicial authority has nothing to do with them, because this file has been referred to the International Investigation Commission. In their view, the international tribunal is going to be established, and it is the international tribunal which is now in charge of this issue. The international tribunal has the upper hand over the Lebanese judiciary. Should the international tribunal ask the Lebanese judiciary to stop dealing with any file, it will do so; it will hand over the defendants and information, and will not intervene. Moreover, as I recall, the international tribunal can retry a person who had been tried by the Lebanese judiciary. In other words, the Lebanese judiciary is no longer important. This is related to the judiciary and the investigation.
"I would like to talk about the international tribunal. They wonder why we refuse to reveal our observations about the international tribunal. O brothers and sisters, I hope that all of the Lebanese will hear me, particularly the lovers of martyr Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The other party has never wanted us to discuss our observations on the tribunal within a serious framework to reach a decision on it. They have no problem in sitting together with them, drinking tea, and being briefed on our observations, but they do not want us to reach any decision on this issue. As you know, the application was smuggled out of the country on the day of the assassination of Jubran Tuwayni, and the UN Security Council approved it on the day of the assassination of Pierre al-Jumayyil. The new approval of the international tribunal was also smuggled. Everything has been smuggled. We do not want to reveal our observations through the media, because we do not seek polemics over the media and because we are serious about the international tribunal issue. As we are serious, we prefer to keep our observations secret until we enter into a serious discussion. I do not want to divulge that secret for the time being. The Saudis have asked us for the observations, the Syrians have asked us for the observations, the Iranians have asked us for the observations, and the Saudis have asked the Syrians and Iranians for the observations. We said that we do not give our observations to anybody. When we have a serious framework within which our own observations can be discussed, we will be ready to talk about them. This is to prove that we are serious.
"However, since matters went beyond the Lebanese constitutional institutions and reached the UNSC the way they wanted, we may at some point announce our observations about the system of the tribunal to make the public opinion aware of the dangers. What some media outlets have recently reported to the effect that the opposition members of parliament will send a letter to the UNSC and give their opinion about the international tribunal is not correct. This is out of the question because by doing so we further divide Lebanon and recognize the UNSC as a reference in a Lebanese constitutional issue. Our problem with the other team is that it is committing violations.
"The system of the tribunal involves an international treaty that requires the approval of the government and the president of the republic in a legal manner, and needs to be referred to the Chamber of Deputies. All what you have done is violations, and we will not be partners in violations. Hence, the UNSC is not the right authority to which our observations can be communicated. Rather, the only authority that observations can be presented to is a constitutional government in Lebanon and during a session chaired by His Excellency the president of the republic. They have smuggled everything, and we will not be partners in smuggling.
"The UNSC is not the right party, to which we can present our observations. The only appropriate party for that purpose is a Lebanese constitutional government holding a session under His Excellency the president. At such a session, the issue will be discussed, approved by the president, and referred to the Chamber of Deputies. If you decided to continue smuggling, we will not be able to conceal our observations forever. One day, we may hold a news conference and reveal the tribunal system, our observations on it, and the fabrications implied in it. This system has had no resemblance at all in international tribunals or judicial authorities since Adam was created. Some observations have such titles. Frankly speaking, the decisions have been made in advance under the said system, which aimed at establishing an international tribunal in order to endorse the said decisions. If you want to get an idea of what is going to happen, we can say it will be different from! the current s tate of affairs in Lebanon.
"Today, we have political prisoners in Lebanon. Four senior Lebanese officers are still held in prison. Therefore, there are political prisoners in the country. Where is the Lebanese Judiciary? The Lebanese judiciary cannot take the risk of releasing any of them even on bail or placing them under house arrest, because it dreads politicians, who are prepared to abuse and even relieve judicial officials of their posts. These officers have been held in prison without investigation pending the formation of the international tribunal. The mission of the chairman of the International Investigation Commission has been extended to another year. Suppose that he will not be able to finish his investigations in two years and that the international tribunal, if established, will start its work after the investigations come to an end. How much longer will these men be held in prison? This is just an example. Once the international tribunal is formed, it will jail more and more people. All this will take place under the banner of the blood of martyr Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. It is time for Lebanon to raise its voice and reject political imprisonment of officers and non-officers by that group.
"Regarding the international tribunal, I would like to confirm that we have never proposed any barter trade. We talked about a national unity government, but not about an international tribunal, whose law should have been discussed at the Chamber of Deputies. It is the other party that has imposed the tribunal issue and even proposed barter. I do not want to give names, which you know well. We have never proposed any barter trade, and we believe that Lebanon`s salvation is in the formation of a national unity government, which we demand in isolati on of the tribunal issue. The international tribunal and the national unity government are separate issues, but the other party has linked them together. Any decision to get an international tribunal established should be referred to a unity government. Therefore, that government was proposed first. We have not offered any barter. Today, they referred the issue to the UNSC, and we will wait and see rather than prejudg! e what the UN SC is going to do. What has this party done with regard to the international tribunal issue has undermined Lebanon`s judicial sovereignty in terms of investigation, trial, and court rulings. The Lebanese judiciary no longer has any sovereignty in this regard. If the tribunal is approved under this system, the said party will destroy the Lebanese judicial authority. We are unable to defend the judicial authority because it does not defend itself, although it can do so courageously and strongly and can honestly look into any case in isolation of the will of the political authority.
"Regarding economy, they have not prepared a working paper and we have not demonstrated against it, because they have also smuggled it, alleging that they would receive aid from Paris 3. Today, no Lebanese Government can draw up any economic plan in the interest of Lebanon. It should meet donors` conditions before doing so. Where is the Paris 3 aid, which they said amounts to $7 billion? The donors have set conditions, and any economic plan should meet these conditions. Even the economy has been internationalized. Concerning security, an attempt was made while we were in the government to establish the so-called information bureau, which would have controlled the security services. This is different from the information section of the Security Forces. The said bureau would have been formed from Lebanese and international officers. This is stated in the text of the agreement, and they cannot deny it because the text is in the hands of the deputies and ministers. The goal of th at bureau was to take full control of the Lebanese security services.
"Today, they feel they have failed to control the Lebanese security services, which come under daily pressures. Each day, the security services are attacked and accused of being planted here and there by the Syrians. The other party has failed to control the army so far. I assure you that they do not want a national army. They want an army that serves the interests of one segment. They want it to oppress demonstrations. What the government of former Prime Minister Karami refused to accept, is being sought by that party. The pro-government forces are trying to pressure the army in order to use it against the opposition. If this army is not based on the principle of factionalism, they will not accept it or trust it at all.
"Now, they are working to peddle their plans to establish a multinational force for Lebanon. They have discussed this issue in public. They want to get multinational forces deployed south and north of the Litany River and in the border area between Lebanon and Syria in order to place the country under the control of these forces. What they have failed to do in one stroke, they try to do it bit by bit. Because the Lebanese Army with its commanders, officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers proved that it is a national army, it comes under pressures and defamatory campaigns everyday. Some security services, which are still working out of their sense of national responsibility far away from factionalism, are exposed to pressure and abused every day.
"They want to plunge the army into a conflict with the resistance, but the army refuses to do so. The question is that they have failed to control the army. Two years have elapsed, and the authority is still dom! inated by the Americans. What have they done for the army? So far, the army has not received any substantial assistance to become a strong army. Why? The answer is simply because the Lebanese Army has been striving to be a national army and refusing to bow to the state of the militiamen who have long fought against this army and to the state of the militia leaders who have always worked to partition, disrupt, fragment, and weaken this army.
"It is natural that the army will not receive assistance. All this has been discussed by them, and what I am doing is putting pieces together. The army will receive assistance when it changes its combat ideology. In other words, the army is required to change its national line, its national ideology, and its political and legal status and to turn into an oppressive tool in the hands of the party that is dominating the state and Lebanon. Only then will the army receive assistance. Our Lebanese national army will not do that any time, God willing. The most important guarantee for the army is the patriotic commanders, officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the people. The army will turn into a tool of oppression when they bring mercenary soldiers from many parts of the world, but as long as the officers and soldiers of the Lebanese Army are recruited from the Lebanese families, this army will never turn into a tool of oppression in their hands.
"In brief, a certain party wants to control the country with international backing. If it can try people, it will do so, but if it cannot, it will demand an international tribunal and an international investigation commission. As a result, the UNSC will turn into a constitutional council or a Chamber of Deputies. Whenever they fail in a certain national area, they internationalize it. Today, they failed in some areas and also failed to dominate most of the state`s institutions. They are putting pressure on the presidency because they failed to dominate it. They are also pressuring the Chamber of Deputies and levelling accusations against it for refusing to bow to their will. The institutions, which they describe as paralysed, are the ones which have refused to bow to their will. These institutions are called paralysed because of their refusal to bow to the will of that group. The screams you hear show their failure, and the said group is blamed by its Americans and non-Americ an masters. The climax of their failure is represented by the failure of their wagering on the July War, which they expected to change the equation in Lebanon and the region. Several days ago, our brother Shaykh Na`im talked about this issue.
"Today, they are wagering on a US strike against Iran. This is not my own analysis or accusation. This is what they are discussing with their party cadres. They are making political, security, and military arrangements on this basis. I do not want to frighten you, but I do not want to deceive you. They think in this way and expect the war to break out in April, May, or June, but if June goes by without such a development, they will face a problem. They are wagering on April, May, or June. Several days ago, reports said that the United States would begin its attack against Iran at 0400 on 6 April. Here in Lebanon, they found no sleep until dawn. When Bush wants to attack Iran, he will first contact some of these people in Lebanon either to inform them or to have their permission!
"Neither has taken place. We will wait and see. I can assure you that they are wagering on this. They are wasting your time and that of the country. If the United States does not go to w! ar with Iran and matters move towards a settlement, such a settlement will be at their expense. If matters go on as they are, then their American supporter and ally will suffer from additional attrition, crisis, and weakness, which will reflect negatively on them. If a w ar breaks out, God forbid - and we do not like wars here, in Iran, or elsewhere - we will fight to defend ourselves. Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. Can you predict the outcome of the war against Iran in advance, have you prepared yourselves and reached certain equations, and is everything fine? Do you have any idea of what will happen in the region if a war breaks out? Do you have any clear idea of the results of such a war?
"The question is: What if the United States is defeated in this war? We hope that Almighty God will help them defeat the United States. What if the United States is defeated in this war? What will you do? One of the brothers told me that people here are wagering on the war against Iran. He also asked me if we would return to the 19/11 equation in case the United States is defeated. I was surprised at his concern over that equation. If that happens, we will have a different world, atmosphere, country, calculations, equations, and classifications. The entire situation will be completely different. This wagering is false and doomed to failure, and those wagering on the foreigner cannot run the country.
"Where have we arrived today? We have arrived at a point, where the dialogue has reached a deadlock. The recent bilateral dialogue has reached a deadlock. There is no need for me to elaborate on this issue. Chamber of Deputies Speaker Nabih Birri has explained this in detail at a recent news conference. Some people from the 14 February group have described the 19/11 system as a matter of life or death, but all of them describe it now as a political suicide. One of them did not want to say that, but all of them now believe that accepting 19/11 amounts to a political suicide. Who is going to suffer from that political suicide? Does anyone believe that the establishment of a national unity government, in which all of the political parties or forces take part, is a political suicide for the homeland and the country? This has never happened in any country, but in Lebanon they view it as a political suicide. I can say that it is a political suicide for them. In their! view, 19/11 i s a political suicide, because they have certain judicial, security, political, and economic obligations.
"If a government is formed in accordance with the 19/11 system, these obligations will turn into national ones and the other party will fail to meet the said obligations towards their masters, which, in turn, will abandon that party. This is the political suicide. Has any national unity government in the world led to a national political suicide? National unity governments in the world guarantee power, unity, and cohesion. Matters may move slowly, but will prevent collapse. All of the ranks of that party believe that 19/11 is a political suicide and that this system is out of the question. As for us, we cannot accept less than 19/11. Therefore, we have reached a deadlock. The tribunal issue, which was still under discussion, has been referred to the UNSC. We will wait and see what will happen.
"Speaker Nabih Birri has proposed that Riyadh invite the Lebanese parties to open negotiations and dialogue and to reach an agreement in Saudi Arabia. The other party has rejected it, and the Saudis said they would only sponsor an agreement rather than negotiations. This is their right, and nobody can blame Saudi Arabia. Any Arab, Islamic, friendly, or fraternal country has the right not to invite people, some of whom are not decision-makers, and risk the failure of the negotiations. Countries seek achievements, not failure. We understand the Saudi position on this issue. So, dialogue has also reached a deadlock. What will we do? I have talked about this issue time and again and allow me to repeat it. The other party focuses on a certain point, which is considered by the opposition as a very bright point. The opposition rejects any form of civil war. They said they had blocked civil war, although they had taken to the streets and opened fire on people. Nevertheless, they said they had blocked the civil war.
"Let them listen to the news conference held by Dr Samir Ja`ja. Do not they listen to one another? Ja`ja said that if his party had not taken to the streets and used its clubs, the 8 March group`s planned coup attempt would have succeeded. Although they set up an ambush at the Arab University on Thursday, they said they had blocked civil war. I know that some of these leaders have been blamed by their American masters for having failed to draw Hezbollah into infighting so far. This is one of their failures.
"We do not want any civil war. We prefer finding a solution sometime in the future, although the current situation harms the country. We do not want to go to a civil war. Let the situation go on as it is. This is not a point of weakness. It is a point of strength. Sincerity, honesty, and sparing blood have never been a point of weakness. It has always been a point of strength. Nobody is prepared to destroy the country just because we are at odds over a certain political issue. We, in the opposition, are committed to this point. This is great. But the opposition has limited its ability to move after it has set a ceiling for itself. Some sow sedition and allege they have blocked the war. They also demand war and then accuse us of trying to trigger it. This is the party with which we have a political dispute.
"Once we reach a crisis, the only logical way out is to seek the people`s judgment. Seeking judgment from abroad will lead to nothing, because the foreigner s! upports a certain party. It does not only support that party, but also considers it as its own. The solution in Lebanon has several formulas. The national dialogue has failed, and any new dialogue held in the same previous mentality will also fail. How can we reach a solution? The constitution, as well as national movements, says that the people are the source of authorities. Let us return to the people. Everything has been blocked and there is no solution through politics or dialogue. We are keeping the street quiet. Are some tents in central Beirut to blame for the $45 billion in debt which they have stolen? There is no prospect for a solution. Let us return to people based on two legal formulas followed throughout the world. Our nation is not isolated from what is going on in the world. There is a political life and there are democratic traditions in the world. Let us agree on a Lebanese popular referendum to solve this problem, and we all should accept what the Lebanese people choose. Are not the people the source of authorities? The seco nd solution is early parliamentary elections. Let us hold parliamentary elections or a referendum.
"We are ready for either of them. Let us bravely decide to return to the will of the Lebanese people if we trust them. This is the required courageous decision. Asking for something in return for something else has nothing to do with courage. This is not a courageous decision. After they have done all this and declared the 19/11 system as a political suicide, which is impossible, we in the opposition will not stand at their doors to beg the said system. I no longer want 19/11. In my view, 19/11 has lost its meaning. If the other party decides to give us 19/11, it will ask us to approve the international tribunal and everything that has taken place in Paris 3 and to solve the resistance issue. They are trying to link everything to 19/11. Therefore, we congratulate them on the illegitimate government and we have no objection to replacing some ministers. The solution is in returning to the Lebanese people, and everything other than this is a waste of time. Let the current situat ion go on. This is good. You are waiting for regional and international changes. We are not waiting for anything. We are not waiting for regional or international changes and we are not wagering on regional or international changes. Nor do we dread an! y regional or international changes. We are standing on a solid ground and we have confidence in the opposition`s strength, its high representation power, and its honesty and we also have confidence in the Lebanese people`s awareness and will.
"If they reject early elections and referendum and if dialogue is not expected to achieve anything, what will we do? After two years, ordinary parliamentary elections will be held, and the two years will go by in a twinkling of an eye. Even if no early elections are held, we will not launch a civil war. We prefer to wait. We will press ahead with our political endeavours, seek the help of the brothers and friends, talk and hold discussions, and use peaceful, democratic, and civilian means. We will also reject any form of infighting. There is no problem in the absence of a political solution. After two years, we will return to the people. Many people have called for help from the judiciary with regard to the electoral law, but when we agreed, they disappeared. They do not want the judiciary to play any role. This is one form of political hypocrisy. Regardless of any future electoral law, we assure them that the majority of the people have expressed their position.
"Therefore, let them reach an understanding, because accord today is easier and cheaper for them than the results of the forthcoming parliamentary elections, after which we will see if we want or do not want to give them 19/11. I am sorry to keep you sitting all this time. This is the negative aspect of keeping silent for a long time. Today, I apologize to the brothers and sisters, who have come to this complex on the Prophet`s birthday anniversary, for failing to meet and serve them. Today, I came to serve you because we are still celebrating the Prophet`s birthday anniversary, as well as other Islamic and Christian occasions. At the same time, we take pride in our brother and sister graduates, who have displayed a new image of our movement, our existence, our vitality, our interaction with one another, our aspirations, and our success in all areas. Finally, I thank you all. As usual, certificates will be distributed, and I hope the brothers will relieve me of this task. The re are about 1,700 certificates. What for? It is in spite of you, and allow me to do so to establish a totalitarian party! I will now hand armour plates to the families of martyr university students, and the certificates will be handed to graduates by dear brothers His Eminency Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyid and His Eminency Hashim Safi-al-Din. Peace and mercy be with you."