Nasrallah to Lebanese: Take to streets
Hizbullah leader calls on Lebanon's residents to launch non-violent protest Friday in center of capital, in demand to establish unity government. 'Fouad Siniora's government failed,' he charges
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast live on the al-Manar network that "if we want to build a united Lebanon, we must establish a unity government."
According to him, the decision to go out to the streets was made after the opposition was left with no other legal choice. He accused the government of wanting to lead a monopoly and said that it had failed in managing the country's business.
"The government's failure is the result of its being a one camp's government. In Lebanon, in its ethnic and multicolored composition, one camp cannot rule. This government has proved that it is unable to meet its obligations and it has failed, and therefore we call for a unity government," Nasrallah said.
'A government based on solidarity'
The Hizbullah leader said that his organization and the opposition organizations want all political forces in Lebanon to be represented.
"Our aspiration if to establish a unity government which will be based on solidarity and understanding, and not on imposing once party's positions on the other," he said.
Nasrallah told his supporters that the protest will begin in Beirut and will spread to all parts of the country. According to him, the next stage in the struggle would be to expand and escalate the demonstrations and demand that early elections are held.
Hizbullah was part of Seniora's government, but about two weeks ago three ministers from the organization and from the Amal movement resigned from their jobs. This action threatened to lead to a violent confrontation between the government's opposers and its supporters.
The Lebanese opposition and Hizbullah members were encouraged by the small number of people taking part in slain Minister Pierre Gemayel's funeral procession. The government wished to use this funeral as a display of power, but Hizbullah saw it as a sign of growing support from the public for forming a unity government.
Siniora's government is worried that Hizbullah members will take on a central role in the government, giving Iran greater influence in Lebanon, especially in the matter of setting up an international tribunal to investigate the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other Lebanese leaders.
According to reports in Lebanon, Syria ordered its supporters in Lebanon, mainly Hizbullah, to sabotage the process of forming the international court.
