Lebanon Druze cozy with Syria again

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 23 (UPI) -- Lebanon's Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, says his country will maintain its relationship with Syria and Iran.

In an interview published Friday by the French publication L'Orient-Le Jour, Jumblatt said Lebanon is "part of the Syrian-Iranian axis."

"We belong to this axis in order to maintain national unity; we shall stay in this axis," Jumblatt said.

Ynetnews noted Jumblatt has opposed Syria's Hezbollah faction and criticized Syrian President Bashar Assad in the past. But after meeting with Assad last month, Jumblatt, who heads Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, has called for the two nations to "solidify a defense strategy instead of discussing Hezbollah's weapons."

"No one will be able to force Hezbollah to disarm. Who will do so?" he was quoted as saying in the L'Orient article. "The Lebanese army does not have the equipment or necessary means to face Israel, while the Israeli threat remains constant throughout the past decades."

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was active in the reconciliation, informing Jumblatt, "Syrian leadership, which is eager to improve its relations with all factions in Lebanon, is willing to open a new page," Ynetnews reported.