Berri mocks Rice for suggesting split between his party and Hizbullah, `I am surprised America`s grasp of middle east p

Source: Daily Star, 28-9-2006
BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice`s wager of a split among the Shiite community is baseless since the alliance between Lebanon`s two mainstream Shiite parties is now stronger than ever. Rice had said in an interview with the New York Times published Tuesday that there was a split within the Shiite block.
"The first time Amal had split from Hizbullah six months ago when the Shiite ministers walked out of Prime Minister`s Fouad Siniora`s Cabinet and they couldn`t hold a meeting, this is a fairly remarkable thing, that you actually now have a split in that Shiite block," Rice said.
Berri said Rice`s suggestion of a split between his Amal Movement and Hizbullah "is a dream, and the two parties are now more united than they have ever been and have a solid common understanding of the smallest details."
He said that both parties are keen on building a "strong, just and capable country that can resist foreign interference."
"I advise the short-sighted people who are transmitting false facts about Lebanon to try a different strategy because they are embarassing themselves, and the Lebanese people will always support the resistance for as long as "Israel" occupies our land," Berri said.
"I am surprised the American understanding of the political scene in the Middle East is still so superficial after all their experiences, the latest being the lost "Israeli" war on Lebanon," he added.
Rice said the situation in Lebanon is "very fragile," adding: "One thing that we really have to keep an eye on is intimidation and possibly even attempts at assassination of figures associated with March 14 and the moderate consensus."
Commenting on the "Israeli" war on Lebanon, Rice said: "The "Israelis" had an extremely difficult situation. Hizbullah attacks across the Blue Line. "Israel" then responds and, as is very often the case in counterinsurgency, counterterrorism war, you have two big problems. Hizbullah lives among the population and can easily human shield anything that you go after. So very early on, you start to get the civilian casualties."
Berri said he hoped Rice would not support "Israel's" violation of Lebanon`s sovereignty and its occupation of the Shibaa Farms and Kfar Shuba hills.
He also said Amal and Hizbullah support the mission of the beefed-up UN peacekeeping force as long as it remains committed to Security Council Resolution 1701.