“We refuse that the presence of Syrian troops in the eastern Bekaa valley be subject to resolution 1559,” said Nasrallah.

Additional Reporting By Ahmed Fathy, IOL Staff

BEIRUT, March 6, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A number of leading Lebanese powers, including the Hizbullah resistance movement, reiterated on Sunday, March 6, opposition to any foreign intervention in the country and called for mass marches to thank Syria for its “valuable” services to its tiny neighbor.

“We refuse that the presence of Syrian troops in the eastern Bekaa valley be subject to (UN Security Council) resolution 1559,” Hizbullah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told a press conference following a meeting of pro-Syria groups, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The resolution, sponsored by Paris and Washington, presses for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon, a clear reference to the Syrian forces.

The US and France have been piling pressure on Syria for a complete withdrawal of troops and intelligence services from Lebanon.

Nasrallah stressed that the Syrian troops should pull out from Lebanon in accordance with the Taif accord, not the UNSC resolution.

The 1989 Taif Accord, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, put an end to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

It provides for “the two governments to determine the strength and duration of the presence of the Syrian forces” but does not set a specific deadline for a Syrian withdrawal.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told parliament on Saturday, March 5, Damascus will withdraw all its troops in Lebanon to the Bekaa and then to the borders.

He asserted that once this is done “Syria would have fulfilled its commitment towards the Taif Accord and implemented resolution 1559”.

Lebanon's outgoing Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad said Damascus would start troops withdrawal after a Lebanese-Syrian summit on Monday, March 7.

Thank-you Marches

Nasrallah said the Lebanese powers agreed on organizing a massive march on Tuesday, March 8, outside the UN house in downtown Beirut to denounce foreign intervention in Lebanon's affairs and to express gratitude to neighboring Syria.

“The aim of Tuesday's demonstration will be to denounce UN Security Council resolution 1559 and express gratitude to Syria for its achievements in Lebanon,” he added.

“We call on all the Lebanese to take part in that massive popular gathering to reject foreign intervention” said the Hizbullah chief.

He stressed that the Lebanese people have the right to reject the resolution, dismissing it as “a blatant interference in our internal affairs and all its clauses are free services to the Israeli enemy.”

National Dialogue

Nasrallah called for national dialogue involving all Lebanese powers, including pro and anti-Damascus parties, to safeguard Lebanon and its national unity.

Lebanese political analysts had told IslamOnline.net that Hizbullah would focus on dialogue with all Lebanese powers, including the opposition, to cement the home front.

Qassem Koser, a Lebanese political analyst, said both Hizbullah and the opposition “have an understanding on ways to face domestic and foreign challenges ahead.”

“The current circumstances necessitate unity and closing ranks, a fact that Hizbullah recognizes,” he told IOL.

Koser stressed that all Lebanese powers, whether the pro or anti-Syria groups, agree that if would not be in the country’s interest to disarm Hizbullah.

“The Druze and Maronite leaders recognize Hizbullah as a pressure card against Israel with respect to pending issues such as the Israeli occupation of the Shebaa Farms, Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails and the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.”

The Lebanese analyst believes the Syrian withdrawal would strengthen the role of the resistance group on the political and popular Lebanese arenas.

He, however, stressed that the withdrawal would represent a victory for Israel on the regional arena.

Telal Atreesi, a political analyst and sociology professor, agreed.

“A full Syrian withdrawal will serve the American and Israeli scheme on weakening the resistance and empowering pro-Israel parties.”