Hezbollah chief says open for partnership in cabinet formation

BEIRUT, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Chief of Lebanon's Shiite military and political group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Friday that his group is open to dialogue and partnership regarding the formation of a new cabinet, Al-Manar TV reported.

In a televised address, Nasrallah called for calm and dialogue on domestic issues and warned against using the time factor to pressure Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to form a government.

Hariri was designated by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in late June to form a new cabinet. However, differences between the opposition led by Hezbollah and the parliamentary majority on the shape of the government stalled Hariri's assignment.

"If the opposition agrees with Hariri on the formation of a government that does not include us, we will not be upset, and will support it," Nasrallah said.

He refuted local reports saying that Hezbollah would give up its demand of veto power in the new government, in return for a guarantee to safeguard their weapons, a demand considered one of the obstacles obstructing the government formation.

Nasrallah revealed that he told Hariri during their meeting two weeks ago that "Hezbollah does not want guarantees for the resistant weapons from the government or from anyone else."

The opposition is open-minded and will facilitate the government formation, he said.

He highlighted the positive atmosphere in Lebanon after the elections, and gave his backing to any meeting between any leader from the opposition with any leader from the majority.

During the parliamentary elections on June 7, the pro-Western coalition March 14 won 71 seats in the 128-seat parliament, over 57 seats of the Hezbollah-led alliance March 8, which is backed by Iran and Syria.

Druze majority leader Walid Jumblatt has been holding separate meeting with several opposition leaders following the elections, which included Hezbollah and other Druze leaders from the opposition.

On regional issues, Nasrallah said "the world justifies Israel's killing of thousands of civilians in order to free one soldier, but we are a nation which is not respected by the world."

"Where is the Arab honor?" he asked.

On the four Iranian diplomats who disappeared in Lebanon in 1982, Nasrallah said the Lebanese government is responsible for their disappearance because the incident took place on Lebanese territories.