Hezbollah brash ahead of policy statement

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Raising the issue of Hezbollah's weapons as the new Lebanese government grapples with its policy statement is political exploitation, leaders say.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unveiled the details of his new government in early November, ending months of political bickering. Hezbollah won modest gains in June parliamentary elections.

Hariri has since struggled with drafting a policy statement for the new government that deals with a variety of affairs, including the issue of Hezbollah's weapons.

Hezbollah under the terms of a 2006 truce with Israel is obligated to lay down its arms. Opposition lawmakers, however, said the Shiite resistance should continue as long as the Israeli threat remains.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheik Naim Qassem blamed lawmakers for raising the issue of weapons for political gain, Hezbollah's al-Manar news network reports.

"All those who are raising the resistance issue are seeking to politically exploit it because we know that the majority of the Lebanese want the resistance to stay and to be strengthened," he said.

Hezbollah complains that Lebanon is still not free from regional influences, despite 66 years as a sovereign state.

"This resistance gave us pride, freed us and constitutes a deterring force against Israel," he said. "We will not be weakened by our own will."