Only Lebanese Army Should Carry Weapons

Further support from Condi Rice to Lebanon. All of
Lebanon..................

Basil
_________________________________________________________________


Rice: Only Lebanese Army Should Carry Weapons

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said all arms should be in
the hands of the Lebanese army and slammed Hizbullah for "operating
outside the government process."
"All arms need to be in the hands of the Lebanese government and the
Lebanese security forces, which are being reformed, which are being
supported," Rice said on LBCI's "Kalam al Nass" talk show Thursday
night.

"No democracy can exist with militias that operate outside of the
governmental process," she told Marcel Ghanem, the show's host.

When asked about the issue of Hizbullah's disarmament, Rice said that
U.N. Security Council Resolutions call for the party to lay down its
arms.

"There is already a U.N. resolution, first 1559 and then 1701," she
said.

Asked if she thinks that Lebanon is at the brink of civil war, Rice
said "Lebanese people do not want to have a violent confrontation. That
is very clear. There are those, I think, who would like to see violence
in Lebanon."

Rice also said that there are outside forces that don't want to see an
independent Lebanon, adding that the Lebanese want peace.

"Those from the outside that don't want to see a successful Lebanon, or
those from the outside who after years of intimidation of the Lebanese
people, of occupation of Lebanese country -- of the Lebanese country,
do not really want to see Lebanon independent and sovereign," she said.


"But the Lebanese people want to live in peace. They want to live in
economic prosperity."

She slammed Syria for not wanting to recognize Lebanon as a sovereign
country.

Syria "will not even recognize Lebanon to send an ambassador to
Lebanon, as you should do with any neighboring state, because Syria
appears not to want to recognize the full sovereignty of Lebanon," she
said.

On Thursday's Paris III donors' conference, Rice said: "The show of
support today for Lebanon is a show of support for the democratic
process in Lebanon, for the reform process and for the people of
Lebanon."

Rice told Ghanem that the Paris III conference, during which
international donors pledged more than 7.6 billion dollars in aid for
Lebanon, was for all of Lebanon.

"I would hope that the Lebanese people understand that this conference
is for all Lebanese. Prime Minister Saniora made very clear that he is
here representing all of Lebanon and that the money that is pledged
here will be used to help the poorest in Lebanon and also to help
Lebanon's economy develop," she said.



Beirut, 26 Jan 07, 10:55

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