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Arms Challenge Awaits Hizballah After Lebanon Poll

(Reuters) Alistair Lyon - When Lebanon's phased parliamentary polls move south on Sunday, Hizballah, in alliance with Amal, the other main pro-Syrian Shi'ite group, is set to sweep the region's 23 seats. Yet the Israeli pullout from Lebanon in 2000 eroded any clear need for armed guerrillas. Some Christian leaders want Hizballah disarmed and there are Muslim voices too who view its military wing as an anomaly that must be resolved if the Lebanese state is to regain full authority. Yet Hizballah leader Nasrallah's vow to resist disarmament by force must be taken at face value - not that the Lebanese army, with its mostly Shi'ite soldiers, could be asked to do the job. Moving away from Hizballah's "resistance" identity is likely to be a slow process and one vulnerable to the vagaries of regional politics, at least while Iran is at odds with the West over its nuclear program and the threat of a U.S. or Israeli military strike on Iranian facilities remains possible. Hizballah's rocket arsenal would be an obvious means of retaliation. "Any internal Lebanese dialogue with Hizballah could be hindered or pushed forward by what happens in the nuclear dispute with Iran," Hizballah analyst Nizar Hamzeh said.
2005-06-01 00:00:00
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