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02/18/2005:

"Hizbullah rejects US call to disarm"

Hizbullah, the Lebanon-based militia organisation, rejected US demands to disarm yesterday, one of the main causes of tension between Washington and Iran and Syria.

In a defiant response to US pressure, Hussein Nablousi, a spokesman for Hizbullah, said: "We are a sword that prevents Israel attacking Lebanon.Without Hizbullah, you would see the Israelis back in downtown Beirut."

Hizbullah, a Shia Muslim organisation that is one of the most disciplined and feared fighting forces in the Middle East, receives support from Iran and Syria.

The US, along with France, pushed through the United Nations security council in September, a resolution calling on Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and for Hizbullah to disarm.

Israel also claims that Hizbullah, acting on behalf of Iran and Syria, is interfering in the West Bank and Gaza to disrupt Israeli-Palestinian peace moves. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, described Hizbullah as a barrier to peace.
Full Article: guardian.co.uk