| Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (L), during a meeting with Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini in Beirut on January 18, 2012. The Iranian minister was on an official visit to Lebanon during which he met government official as well as senior members of the pro-Iranian group. AFP PHOTO |
BEIRUT Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — The secretary general of Shiite armed group Hezbollah said Saturday his party will not relinquish its controversial arsenal, saying the weapons are a guarantee for Lebanon’s safety and sovereignty.
Hassan Nasrallah lashed out at United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon who is currently on a visit to Beirut, saying Ban’s stances were shaped after those of the United States.
Nasrallah said his group would stick to its weapons and the choice of resistance against Israel.
Nasrallah added that he was “pleased” with concerns expressed by Ban Friday in Beirut about the growing military capabilities of Hezbollah.
“Yesterday, I was pleased when I heard Ban saying he was concerned from the growing power of Hezbollah. Your worries, Mr. secretary-general, comforts us and pleases us,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech. “We want you, the U.S. and Israel to be concerned too.” Enditem
Hezbollah denies US accusations of money laundering, drug trafficking
BEIRUT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) — Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah reiterated Thursday its denial of U.S. accusations that the group was involved in money laundering and drug trafficking.
“Accusations made by the U.S. administration that Hezbollah is funding illegal activities are merely a new attempt to target the resistance in Lebanon and tarnish its image,” Hezbollah said in a statement issued by its media office.
Hezbollah slammed a report published on Dec. 14 by U.S. daily newspaper The New York Times that the Lebanese-Canadian Bank was the hub of international money-laundering operations used to fund the group.
“Hezbollah categorically denies the false accusations about its involvement, directly or indirectly, in money laundering or drug trafficking or any bank transactions as stated in The New York Times,” the Hezbollah statement said.
U.S. Federal authorities have blamed Lebanese financial institutions for wiring more than 300 million U.S. dollars into the United States in a money-laundering scheme which they said used the U.S. financial system to benefit Hezbollah.
The allegations also came after efforts by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) failed in Lebanon, the statement said.
XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
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Published : Friday May 18, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 660
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Published : Thursday May 17, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 882
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Published : Wednesday May 16, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 661
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Published : Wednesday May 16, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 437
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Published : Tuesday May 15, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 1632
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Published : Monday May 14, 2012 | Category : Editorials | Views : 865
The report of the Office of the Ombudsman that nine of 10 Filipinos do not bribe government officials or employees does not surprise us.We knew all along that the majority of our citizens do not bribe their way to transact business with the government. Read more
