Former PMs: Hizbullah`s military performance "prevented `Israel` from achieving its goals and instigating strife among

Source: Daily Star, 27-9-2006
BEIRUT: A gathering of former prime ministers said on Tuesday that Hizbullah would disarm when all occupied Lebanese territory was liberated and all detainees were freed. Former Premiers Salim Hoss, Amin Hafez, Rashid Solh, Omar Karami and Najib Mikati signed a memorandum of accord on Tuesday, which said the issue of the Shebaa Farms and the detainees should be resolved through UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
"Then there won`t be a need for the resistance`s weapons," the document said.
Gathered at Hoss` Beirut residence, the quintet warned that internal bickering would only "widen sectarian divisions and increase tension." The country`s leading politicians should "agree on common views about crucial issues," they added.
"It is true that the resistance violated the Blue Line and captured two `Israeli` soldiers, but `Israel` has been violating the Lebanese skies and territories on a daily basis," the memorandum said. "Hizbullah wanted to reach a prisoner swap through its operation, but `Israel`s` retaliation was premeditated and disproportionate."
The further added that Hizbullah`s military performance "prevented `Israel` from achieving its goals and instigating strife among the Lebanese."
"The war on Lebanon may pave the way for equitable solutions to the Middle East crisis," it added.
The former premiers welcomed "the deployment of multinational forces to the South to help the Lebanese Army assume its role in line with Resolution 1701." But the deployment of maritime forces along the coast of Lebanon was "not necessary since the coast is controlled by the Lebanese security forces," they added.
As for the ongoing row over the presidency, the former prime ministers said the solution lied in creating a new electoral law based on proportional representation, holding early parliamentary elections and electing a new president or waiting for President Emile Lahoud`s term to end.
The quintet said there was a need to create a national unity Cabinet that would represent the "permanent framework of national dialogue."
They also called for honoring Lebanon`s Arabism and "establishing good relations with Syria based on mutual respect and common interests."
Hoss said he hoped the memorandum would constitute a meeting point for all politicians to consolidate national unity.