May 27, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1429

BEIRUT, May 26: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed his militant group would not use its arms to achieve political gains, in a fiery speech on Monday to mark the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon.

“I reaffirm the Doha agreement clause that prevents the use of arms to attain political goals,” Nasrallah said, referring to the deal struck last week in the Qatari capital to end Lebanon’s long-running political crisis.

“The resistance’s arms are to fight the enemy, liberate lands and prisoners, and defend Lebanon and nothing else,” he pledged, referring to his group’s enmity with Israel which pulled out of south Lebanon in 2000.

Nasrallah also ruled out the state’s weaponry being used to settle domestic accounts.

“The government’s weapons or those of the army or armed forces are to defend the nation, the people and their rights, the government, and to maintain security,” he said.

“The government’s weapons cannot be used to settle accounts with a political opponent. The government’s weapons cannot be used to target the resistance and its arms,” he added.

“All arms must remain in the service of the goal they were created for,” Nasrallah said. Referring to the sectarian violence that shook the country earlier this month, the Hezbollah leader said that he would seek to heal wounds opened during the violence.

“Both sides suffered deep wounds,” he said. “Either we widen the wound and put salt on it, or we work to heal it for the sake of Lebanon. We choose the latter option.” Nasrallah spoke via a video link to a crowd of tens of thousands gathered in his stronghold in southern Beirut, one day after army chief Michel Suleiman was elected Lebanon’s president.

The election ended a long-running political crisis between rival factions that left the country without a head of state since late November.

Nasrallah welcomed Suleiman election as a new chapter for Lebanon.

“The election of Michel Suleiman brings hope to the Lebanese of a new era and a new beginning,” he said. “His inaugural speech expressed the spirit of consensus that he promised to act upon in the upcoming period.

“And this is what Lebanon needs.” He said he wished the Lebanese a quiet summer in contrast to what he said was Washington’s dream of a hot summer.

“We face two dreams, a Lebanese and an American dream,” he said. “The Lebanese dream is about a quiet summer while the American one speaks of a hot summer.

“Let us make our dream come true rather than theirs.” He vowed to work toward restoring unity and reconciling differences among the Lebanese.

“I promise ... that we will make every effort to get over every grudge, overcome every sensitivity and surpass every wound to put our hands together to build Lebanon and be Lebanon,” he said.—AFP