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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (AP)
Last update - 18:17 03/01/2008
Sneh: Israel not aware of Hezbollah claims to hold soldiers' remains
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah 

A senior Israeli lawmaker said Thursday that Israel had no knowledge of Hezbollah claims that the Lebanese militia is holding the remains of Israeli troops killed in Lebanon.

"We have no knowledge of such a thing," Ephraim Sneh, a member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee told Israel Radio of Nasrallah's claim that he sought to trade for the soldiers' remains.

Israel is thought to be holding at least seven Lebanese prisoners.
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In October Israel traded a Hezbollah captive and the bodies of two Lebanese fighters for the body of an Israeli civilian drowned off Israel's coast and washed ashore in Lebanon.

In a televised interview, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group was holding the remains of Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in Israel's war against Hezbollah in 2006. He also alleged that Israel is dragging its feet in prisoner swap negotiations to free two captured Israeli soldiers.

"There are body parts left behind by the Israelis of their soldiers on southern Lebanese territory," Nasrallah said in an interview with the private Lebanese NBN television broadcast Wednesday night.

"We offered during the negotiations to return them but the Israeli side was not interested in this issue."

In Wednesday's interview, Nasrallah said UN-mediated negotiations to swap the Lebanese captives for the two Israeli soldiers were still going on and he expected that within three weeks it would be clearer it those talks would bear fruit.

Nasrallah also said that Israel is behind the series of political assassinations in Lebanon that has targeted lawmakers and other public figures. He alleges the attacks were carried out in order to sow strife between the country's various factions.

"Israel has the most to gain by these assassinations," Nasrallah said. "It wants to tear Lebanon from Syria - and prove Lebanon can't take care of its own security so that security agencies will be in charge of security here, like in Iraq."

During the interview that was aired simultaneously on both Lebanon's NBN and Hezbolllah's station Al-Manar, he denied claims that his terrorist organization took orders from its ally Iran, saying it reached its decisions independently.

"It's a lie propagated by the media," he said about Iran's alleged influence over his group. ""We influence Iranian policy in the region more than they do us."

Turning to the U.S., Nasrallah claimed Washington was interested in establishing a foothold in Lebanon in order to impose peace with Israel, eliminate Hezbollah, and "destroy the Palestinian refugees' right of return by settling them in Lebanon."

On the issue of the political crisis in Lebanon, Nasrallah declared that no president will be elected in the country unless the Syrian-backed opposition gets a veto power in the future government.

He charged that the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority is to blame for creating the current presidential deadlock by refusing a partnership with the Hezbollah-led opposition.

"A solution lies in a partnership through a constitutional guarantee [and] through a veto power for the opposition, which represents more than half of the Lebanese people," said Nasrallah.

He said his party supported Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman for president to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term ended on November 23 without a successor being chosen.

"But Suleiman's election," he said, "will not solve the problem without a national unity government in which the opposition gets a veto power."

A parliamentary session to elect Lebanon's president was postponed for the 11th time on December 28, with feuding factions deadlocked over a constitutional amendment and the shape of a future government. A new parliament session has been set for January 12.

The crisis over the presidency has capped a yearlong power struggle between anti-Syrian politicians, who hold a slim majority in parliament and support the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, and the opposition, led by Hezbollah.

Nasrallah blamed the deadlock on the ruling coalition, which wants to fully control authority and rejects partnership with the other party.

"Today, the real problem is the principle of partnership. A veto power means that the opposition becomes a partner (in government)," Nasrallah said.

Lawmakers on both sides have agreed to back Suleiman as a compromise candidate, but parliament must first amend the constitution to allow a sitting military chief to become president.

This process has been complicated by the opposition's demand for a new unity government that would give it veto power over major decisions. Opposition boycotts have thwarted attempts to choose a president by preventing a two-thirds quorum.

Related articles:
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  • Nasrallah: Lebanon war crushed U.S. vision for 'new Middle East'
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      1.   nasrallah`s fabrications 23:07  |  Edifice 02/01/08
      2.   Lebaneze: Be Careful. Nasrallah-Hezballah wants to start a new 23:13  |  Vittorio 02/01/08
      3.   I agree with the good Sheik Nasrallah 23:18  |  muslim 02/01/08
      4.   Could this be true? 23:23  |  Concerned Israeli 02/01/08
      5.   we LOVE Nasrallah 23:34  |  Ahmed 02/01/08
      6.   OMG Nasrallah is starting to look 23:35  |  Lynn 02/01/08
      7.   muslim....as far as the UN investigation 23:38  |  Lynn 02/01/08
      8.   Lebanese should consider Nasrallah`s sanity 23:40  |  Sam 02/01/08
      9.   Indeed Israel is gaining the most from the assassinations, BUT... 23:40  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/01/08
      10.   well- know lies 23:42  |  noah 02/01/08
      11.   Now, he`s a comic! LOL 23:44  |  Petra 02/01/08
      12.   Playing poker with lives as 23:46  |  bobby 02/01/08
      13.   Muslim - Israel and killings in Lebanon 23:48  |  Philip 02/01/08
      14.   Show proof, or STFU 23:48  |  Awake 02/01/08
      15.   #2 Muslim 23:50  |  Philip 02/01/08
      16.   I also agree with Nasrallah 23:51  |  Veritas 02/01/08
      17.   At last... 23:51  |  Ben 02/01/08
      18.   #1 And last response was not effective? 23:57  |  Philip 02/01/08
      19.   Vittorio 23:58  |  gearoid 02/01/08
      20.   Unique Democracy: Veto right for Opposition 23:59  |  I 02/01/08
      21.   Nasrallah knows what he is talking about! 23:59  |  lakshmi 02/01/08
      22.   More than just the assassinations! 00:01  |  Ricardo 03/01/08
      23.   Sure, Hezbollah controls Iran; Tail wags dog. 00:02  |  I 03/01/08
      24.   OK? 00:02  |  Marc 03/01/08
      25.   Nasrallah 00:02  |  George Morgenstern 03/01/08
      26.   Nassy says Israel is assasinating all Hez&Syrian enemies/opponent 00:04  |  Alan 03/01/08
      27.   My prophet is a teddy bear 00:04  |  muslim 03/01/08
      28.   Muslim#2 - considering assassinations 00:04  |  William 03/01/08
      29.   Who has heard about... 00:06  |  AnalystGirl 03/01/08
      30.   Yes, He knows exact details of Assasinations: Guess Why? 00:06  |  I 03/01/08
      31.   Funny that.... 00:07  |  Tom 03/01/08
      32.   Criminal 00:07  |  Esther 03/01/08
      33.   Time to allow Red Cross to visit POW`s. Israel did. 00:09  |  I 03/01/08
      34.   muslims history of political assassinations is even longer. 00:10  |  right on spot 03/01/08
      35.   Darn that Mossad ! 00:14  |  Agent 99 03/01/08
      36.   yeah -- the arab favorite scape goat 00:18  |  Alan 03/01/08
      37.   nasrallah`s hallucinations(2nd attempt) 00:23  |  Edifice 03/01/08
      38.   nasrallah is deranged 00:24  |  real vision 03/01/08
      39.   #2 We All Agree That You Are An Idiot! 00:35  |  Bill Foonman 03/01/08
      40.   muslim, your an idiot 00:39  |  hebro 03/01/08
      41.   Nasrallah`s democracy? 00:42  |  geoff 03/01/08
      42.   nassRATallah 00:44  |  Shmuelshachor 03/01/08
      43.   It is good theye are assasinated 00:48  |  Ben 03/01/08
      44.   #2 00:52  |  geoff 03/01/08
      45.   Nasrallah should give Lebanese a veto over his organization 00:54  |  McQueen 03/01/08
      46.   #2 with a name like "muslim" what a surprise you agree 00:56  |  McQueen 03/01/08
      47.   Worse Than an Animal 01:02  |  Jane 03/01/08
      48.   Vittorio What you Don`t Know 01:03  |  Samir Salameh 03/01/08
      49.   What will become of Nasrallah in ten years ? 01:09  |  Fortuna Benmayor 03/01/08
      50.   Democracy, Hizballah-style. 01:15  |  Fortuna Benmayor 03/01/08
      51.   Israeli Lefties`d still claim arabs are no different from Israeli 01:19  |  Absolute Sweden 03/01/08
      52.   What would a Terrorist Say In Reply 01:19  |  Brad 03/01/08
      53.   #2 Mooselum 01:21  |  * BEN JABO 03/01/08
      54.   Lebanese - accept the responsiblity 01:22  |  * BEN JABO 03/01/08
      55.   MUSLIMS LIKE PARTY PARTS 01:25  |  TOBIA 03/01/08
      56.   I think that the Irianian`s will kill him 01:51  |  Ron 03/01/08
      57.   Takiya, Takiya, everyone knows the deceive and lie tactic by now 02:12  |  Genuine Tosefta 03/01/08
      58.   Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah 02:17  |  Walt 03/01/08
      59.   # 2 M/slim - good for you 02:29  |  17 03/01/08
      60.   `17` in as much as you are a home educated little biggoted moron 02:38  |  muslim 03/01/08
      61.   Haaretz Censor, Do you have a rule against decent, to the point, 02:40  |  I 03/01/08
      62.   fake Tosefta? kol nidre, kol nidre 02:41  |  muslim 03/01/08
      63.   muslim 02:42  |  alsky 03/01/08
      64.   5 Walt That`s why he won`t let the Red Cross see 02:43  |  I 03/01/08
      65.   3. ronny boy should lay off that hezbollah gold 02:45  |  muslim 03/01/08
      66.   Body parts 03:03  |  Simon 03/01/08
      67.   what? not interested in exchange of body parts? 03:06  |  Paul Freedman 03/01/08
      68.   Will the Lebanese allow Nasrallah to drag it into another war? 03:33  |  Conroy 03/01/08
      69.   Great Leader 03:34  |  George 03/01/08
      70.   Nasrallah`s findings