PRIME MINISTER FOUAD SINIORA INTERVIEW - Wednesday 28th February, 2007
GEORGE NEGUS: Mr Prime Minister, thanks very much for your
time. We've just broadcast a very disturbing report showing the
violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Lebanon. I have to say it
looked a lot like a quasi civil war. How worried are you?
FOUAD SINIORA, LEBANEESE PRIME MINISTER: I believe that the
situation,
one can really say that has been tense – not to the point of
saying that there's a civil war. To the contrary, that despite the
efforts that were made by some people, who have an interest in really
keeping the situation tense or carrying it further, having been trying
their best, and I think it doesn't really find a listening ear among..
GEORGE NEGUS: Sorry, sir, who are these people causing the
tension that
you mentioned?
FOUAD SINIORA: Well, I mean, some people who are interested in
doing
that because they think that they have vested interested in that. So
these are, I mean, a minority.
GEORGE NEGUS: Are you actually blaming Hezbollah for that
tension?
FOUAD SINIORA: Well, no. Let me tell you, Hezbollah has been
saying
quite clearly - through its leader, Sheik Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and
many of the parliamentarians - is that, "We are expressing our views in
opposing the government but we are very careful, and we don't want to
carry things through to the point of any type of confrontation."
GEORGE NEGUS: Sir, we've heard members of your Sunni community
describing Hezbollah as terrorists and calling for attacks on them. Do
you regard Hezbollah as terrorists?
FOUAD SINIORA: Well, let me tell you something - some of them
are
really extremely extremists and others are moderate. So this is
something normal you can find in every group. My point of view is that
we do not consider them to be terrorists. And we consider that their
weapons, which played a role at one time – that is in
achieving the withdrawal of the Israelis. And this is something that we
have to sit down and really have a dialogue, an active dialogue with
them about their role and their weapons and their views regarding the
continuation of their weapons.
GEORGE NEGUS: Mr Prime Minister, will you disarm Hezbollah?
Can you
disarm Hezbollah?
FOUAD SINIORA: I never, ever use the term 'disarm'. I believe
that
these weapons, actually, we have to negotiate and have an active
dialogue, a very constructive one that will lead to us having the
weapons in the hands of the Lebanese official authorities, in the army
and the internal security forces. And this can only be done through
dialogue and not through force.
GEORGE NEGUS: Mr Prime Minister, bearing in mind the 33-day
war against
the Israelis last year, can Lebanon possibly defend itself without an
armed Hezbollah?
FOUAD SINIORA: We have to have the right, let's say, force to
defend
us, knowing that we may not be a real match to Israel militarily. But
the thing that we can depend on as well is the international legitimacy
and the international world opinion. So this is something that small
nations would have to depend on, otherwise we are sending the whole
world into the rule of the jungle - whoever can really exercise force
will be dominant. I don't think that the world is really moving in that
direction.
GEORGE NEGUS: So who's supplying Hezbollah with its weapons -
Iran, as
the rest of us are led to believe?
FOUAD SINIORA: Well, it hasn't been a secret you see,
definitely Iran
and Syria, they have been supplying Hezbollah and the Lebanese were all
united behind Hezbollah in fighting the Israelis. And still definitely
the Lebanese point of view, they would really want Israel to withdraw
from the remaining areas that are in Lebanon.
GEORGE NEGUS: Mr Prime Minister, is the US, as some
commentators
suggest, via their $1 billion in aid to your government, actually
providing weapons to counter the influence of Iran in your country and
in the region? Is in fact the US fighting a proxy war in Lebanon?
FOUAD SINIORA: We aren't fighting any proxy wars and not on
behalf of
the United States or others. You see, this proposed help to Lebanon is
not intended, let's say, by the United States Government, it is not
intended
by the Lebanese Government, that these weapons are destined to fight
the Iranians. This is not the purpose whatsoever. It is the purpose of
enhancing the capability of the Lebanese Army and internal security and
not for the purpose - I repeat - not for the purpose of fighting other
wars or proxy wars.
GEORGE NEGUS: But doesn't the United States regard Hezbollah
as the
A-team of terrorism?
FOUAD SINIORA: This is the point of view of the United States,
which
this is their privilege and right. And this is our political view that
Hezbollah is a Lebanese party and they are, as I said, well represented
in the Parliament and the Cabinet. And we want to reach the point where
all Lebanese territories will become under the authority of the
Lebanese Government, and to have one monopoly on the holding of
weapons. This is our objective and we want to reach it through
dialogue, through cooperation and not through confrontation.
GEORGE NEGUS: But do you think that you'd ever receive US
assistance in
any attempt to get land back from Israel?
FOUAD SINIORA: I definitely, first of all, would expect all
our friends
in the world to support, or otherwise they are taking the position that
is for - I'll repeat - for promoting the belief in the law of the
jungle. Let me tell you, you see, the whole world is now witnessing a
drive towards more extremism, and this is happening because there is a
growing feeling in the Arab world and the Muslim world of humiliation
that's happening because of the continuation of the occupation under
the consent of many nations around the world. And this continuation of
occupation is not in the interests of any because it will lead people
to believe that the only way is to get their right, by using might.
GEORGE NEGUS: So are you saying that the occupation of Iraq by
the US
and the coalition of the willing, including Australia, is making the
situation in your country more dangerous, more desperate?
FOUAD SINIORA: The most important reason that has been
deteriorating
over the years, not only in Lebanon or Palestine but in all the Arab
world, in most countries of the Islamic world and everywhere else, is
the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is the origin of the problem.
GEORGE NEGUS: Finally, Mr Siniora, do you fear that the
current
situation could degenerate into a full-blown Sunni-Shi'ite conflict - a
la Iraq - not just in your country, Lebanon, but across the entire
region?
FOUAD SINIORA: Let me tell you something. The composition,
let's say,
of the population in the Arab world, it is about 92% Sunnites and about
8% Shi'ites. And the composition of the Muslim world, it is 88%
Sunnites and 12% Shi'ites. I am saying this and I am really confirming,
it is not in the interests of the Sunnites and not in the interests of
the Shi'ites at all to take things towards any type of military
conflict. It is not in their interest. So there are many who realise
this situation and working hard to avoid any situation that would lead
to any type of confrontation. But the mainstream of the Muslims,
including Shi'ites and Sunnites, they have been living together, they
want to live together and they want to really continue to be together.
And there is no other way but continuing being together.
GEORGE NEGUS: Sir, thanks very much for your time. Salaam.
FOUAD SINIORA: Thank you. Thank you very much.