A Hezbollah delegation visited Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail on Wednesday with the aim of “mending” ties with the Premier after the latter’s remarks about the party’s arms.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had met with Salam two days ago in a bid to ease the tension between Salam and Hezbollah and pave the way for the meeting between the two.
The Hezbollah delegation comprised head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohamed Raad, MPs Hussein Hajj Hassan, Amin Sherri, Hasan Fadlallah and Ibrahim al-Musawi.
According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the meeting has opened a "new path for the relations” between Salam and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah pins high importance on the cessation of Israeli hostilities and the need for Israel to withdraw from five strategic points it still occupies in southern Lebanon, in addition to reconstruction after Israel’s war on the country, the sources stated.
Salam for his part emphasized commitment to the provisions in the ministerial policy statement, said the sources, with emphasis on continued coordination between the two.
Raad told reporters after the meeting that the party has nothing but “good intentions” towards the government, “we are keen for lasting consensus with all the country’s components, and with all the ministries”.
Raad stated that Hezbollah is keen to cooperate with the government, “Nothing can hamper the cooperation between us and the government, which we are part of”.
“We know this phase is a difficult one...We, as government and people, authorities and political forces, must know that our priorities at this stage stand at ending the Israeli occupation, returning the hostages, and stop the daily Israeli aggressions happening daily on roads and in villages in the South, and to begin reconstruction”, stated the MP.
Whether discussions with the PM touched on the party’s armament, Raad said it was not discussed in detail. “The issue of arms must be discussed in an objective manner that preserves the country’s interest, the choices of its people, and deterring the Israeli aggression threatening its security and stability”.
On reports that Hezbollah has conditioned the option of its disarmament to reconstruction, Raad denied saying: “everything will be discussed in truly time”.
