Hezbollah leader Nasrallah calls for dialogue in Syria

Supporters of Lebanese Hezbollah raise their fists as they listen to a speech via video link by Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah marking the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in the southern suburbs of Beirut, August 17, 2012. (File photo)

Tue Sep 4, 2012 5:35AM GMT

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A solution [for the] Syria [conflict] cannot be reached unless there is a ceasefire [followed] by dialogue between all Syrian factions."
Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says “political settlement and dialogue” between the Syrian government and opposition is the rational solution to the Syrian crisis.

“A solution [for the] Syria [conflict] cannot be reached unless there is a ceasefire [followed] by dialogue between all Syrian factions,” Nasrallah said in a live interview with Al-Mayadeen TV channel on Monday.

The Hezbollah leader praised the Syrian government for inviting the opposition groups to “dialogue” and criticized the Western-sponsored insurgents for rejecting the initiative.

Nasrallah also threw his weight behind Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, noting that Western states and some Arab countries seek the downfall of the Syrian government due to its stance against Israel.

He said the Syrian crisis has diverted the world’s attention from the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians and the expansion of settlements on Palestinian lands.

He also rejected accusations that Hezbollah possessed chemical weapons.

"We don't have chemical weapons and we cannot use them for reasons linked to the Sharia and for humanitarian reasons," he maintained.

He made the remarks in response to claims by some Israeli regime officials in July, who warned against the transfer of missiles and chemical weapons from Damascus to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and insurgents are behind the unrest, while the opposition accuses the security forces of killing protesters.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals.

AO/HJL