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Lebanese troops deploying during last week's clashes with Hezbollah (AP)
Last update - 10:09 18/05/2008
Lebanon gov't challenges Hezbollah on weapons arsenal
By The Associated Press
Tags: Fuad Siniora, Beirut, Lebanon 

BEIRUT - Lebanon's U.S.-backed ruling coalition challenged their Hezbollah-led rivals Saturday, demanding that top-level talks in Qatar on ending Lebanon's 18-month political crisis - which turned violent a week ago - also tackle the issue of Hezbollah's weapons.

However, the Hezbollah side insisted the group's arsenal not be touched, according to Lebanese media reports on the first day of the negotiations in the Qatari capital.

The Doha-hosted meeting between the Lebanese factions was arranged under an Arab League-mediated deal to end Lebanon's worst violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
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Following Arab mediation, the feuding sides flew to Qatar on Friday, after agreeing that the talks would lead to the election of compromise candidate Army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president.

Lebanon's official National News Agency said the talks became tense when parliament majority leader Saad Hariri, a Sunni, and hardline pro-government Christian politician Samir Geagea brought up the issue of Hezbollah's weapons.

The private LBC Television said the feuding sides engaged in heated discussions over the subject, which took up most of the morning session.

This indicated that Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's side was looking for guarantees in Qatar that Hezbollah won't again take to the streets as it did when it overrun Muslim Sunni west Beirut neighborhoods last week. Geagea had warned Hezbollah that Doha talks would fail if the Shiite Islamist group sticks to keeping its weapons. We can no longer accept Hezbollah as it is, he told the Qatari Al-Jazeera TV.

The eruption last week was triggered by government measures to rein in Hezbollah, whose fighters then responded by taking up arms. The clashes left 67 people dead and over 200 wounded.

The standoff has paralyzed Lebanon politically, and left it without a president since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud's term ended last November. It started in Nov. 2006, when six Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned from the Cabinet because it would not give them veto power on government decisions.

Lawmaker Mohammed Raad, who heads Hezbollah's delegation in Qatar, defended the group's keeping its arsenal, saying the weapons were meant to fight against Israel and must not be touched, according to LBC.


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      1.   Enough with the weapons already 07:12  |  Natallie Durson 18/05/08
      2.   Another grave violation of 3 UN resolutions continues 08:03  |  Dan 18/05/08
      3.   Mark my words, Hezbo will bring the end of Hezbanon 08:09  |  Dan 18/05/08
      4.   Don`t you remember? They need their weapons for `resistance` 08:14  |  Dan 18/05/08
      5.   Dan - Israe`s "grave` violations of UN resolutions 08:16  |  Palestinian Brit 18/05/08
      6.   Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora: 08:17  |  Jean Van Daem 18/05/08
      7.   It must suck to be Lebanese and not be able to tell the truth 08:28  |  Ariel 18/05/08
      8.   Is Saniora Offering Guarantees, too 08:34  |  Mark of Lewiston 18/05/08
      9.   Loser P*ssys cannot demand ANYTHING 08:39  |  Hez Man 18/05/08
      10.   Siniora becomes Mr. Expendable 09:27  |  Natallie Durson 18/05/08
      11.   #1 Dan 09:33  |  maoriboy 18/05/08
      12.   Speculation 09:33  |  Colin Wright 18/05/08
      13.   Natalie on Hezbollah 09:55  |  Reid 18/05/08
      14.   Hezbollah braces itself for an attack by a dead sheep 10:16  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      15.   For Reid # 13 10:19  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      16.   6# But Hezb Allah forever 10:32  |  Imad 18/05/08
      17.   #6 but Hezb Allah forever 10:45  |  Imad 18/05/08
      18.   Isn`t it easier to do in Qatar than in Lebanon? 11:00  |  Hot Air 18/05/08
      19.   Nothing original from Jean van Daem again # 6 11:11  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      20.   Durson: Is It Any Sunnier In S. Lebanon Than It Is In N. Israel? 11:29  |  Lavi 18/05/08
      21.   Clickfool - Hezbollah has a coalition too 11:34  |  Reid 18/05/08
      22.   palbrit 11:43  |  x-ray 18/05/08
      23.   Hezb paying part of your stipend now Cfool? 11:45  |  x-ray 18/05/08
      24.   treatment of the middle east 12:05  |  ramzi Lebanese&free 18/05/08
      25.   No 13. Hizbullah mistake? 12:13  |  Palestinian Brit 18/05/08
      26.   #17 Imad: Allah Is Either Lying To You Or You`re Lying to Him 12:13  |  Lavi 18/05/08
      27.   For X-Ray # 23 12:41  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      28.   Lebanon`s Army is a joke, the US supplies them with WW2 Relics 13:02  |  Lev Bronstein 18/05/08
      29.   #25 Pal Brit: Hezbollah Needs Lebanese Civilian Cover To Survive 13:22  |  Lavi 18/05/08
      30.   A US-BACK RULING COALITION, HA..HA.. 13:46  |  indrajaya 18/05/08
      31.   this only begs the question WHY did israel agree to unscr1701 14:00  |  v hardman 18/05/08
      32.   For Victor Paul Harris Hardman # 31 14:10  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      33.   #28 trotsky and more pages from pravda 14:21  |  v hardman 18/05/08
      34.   #31 Oh, I think a comment is necessary, VictorPaul 14:34  |  Johnboy 18/05/08
      35.   Imad - a lot of rubbish you say 14:44  |  J 18/05/08
      36.   # 30 Indy....Just a question 15:23  |  Lynn 18/05/08
      37.   Mark of Lewiston #8: you`re reversing the order of sequence - 15:48  |  ivo 18/05/08
      38.   hezbollah obviously needs the conflict w/israel - 15:56  |  ivo 18/05/08
      39.   No, 8--Mark of Lewiston 16:08  |  a wandering Jew 18/05/08
      40.   Palestinian Brit 16:18  |  rich 18/05/08
      41.   ivo #37 16:57  |  emad 18/05/08
      42.   Israel`s Government Instead. 17:05  |  Wael 18/05/08
      43.   Johnboy in Sydney and V.Hardman 17:16  |  rich 18/05/08
      44.   Lebanese government needs to stick to its guns 17:28  |  Joe Frazier 18/05/08
      45.   Re 29. I agree 17:42  |  Palestinian Brit 18/05/08
      46.   Rich - why are you in London? 17:47  |  Palestinian Brit 18/05/08
      47.   #34 Johnboy Wrong 17:57  |  Joe Frazier 18/05/08
      48.   Palestinina brit 18:21  |  Danite 18/05/08
      49.   ivo #37 18:32  |  emad 18/05/08
      50.   Sooner or later the solution needs to be found to Hezbollah 18:47  |  Sal 18/05/08
      51.   # 36, LYNN 18:48  |  indrajaya 18/05/08
      52.   # 19 clicky....What is it you have against 18:59  |  Lynn 18/05/08
      53.   ivo #37 19:07  |  emad 18/05/08
      54.   Lebanon gov`t challenges Hezbollah 19:33  |  Ralph 18/05/08
      55.   Lebanon threatens to reduce Tahine sauce to Hezballah. 19:43  |  Fortuna Benmayor 18/05/08
      56.   emad #40: two parts to that question - 20:02  |  ivo 18/05/08
      57.   The Rational IS that 20:49  |  Mirahmed 18/05/08
      58.   # 42 Indy....has nothing to do with the borders 21:18  |  Lynn 18/05/08
      59.   For Lynn, on democracy # 44 21:39  |  Clickfool 18/05/08
      60.   37 Ivo - As Wandering Jew Points Out (38) 21:48  |  Mark of Lewiston 18/05/08
      61.   Palestinian Brit 21:51  |  rich 18/05/08
      62.   38 Wandering Jew 21:53  |  Mark of Lewiston 18/05/08
      63.   Palestinian `Brit - Hizbullah mistake 22:01  |  Reid 18/05/08
      64.   Israel need to lay its weapons if Arabs are gonna do same. 22:07  |  James 18/05/08
      65.   Johnboy and SCR 1701 22:13  |  Reid 18/05/08
      66.   Is the USS Cole...alone ? 22:15  |  Stephen. 18/05/08
      67.   Mark of Lewiston 22:19  |  Mark Lincoln 18/05/08
      68.   Mark Lincoln`s assessment 23:02  |  Reid 18/05/08
      69.   Mark of Lewiston #60: well, it does matter who starts an armed - 23:06  |  ivo 18/05/08
      70.   Druze Warriors 23:20  |  Lebanese Druze-Russ 18/05/08
      71.   Druze Warriors 23:21  |  Lebanese Druze 18/05/08
      72.   Mark Lincoln #67: the sequence of events - 23:23  |  ivo 18/05/08
      73.   Lebanese Druze - Thanks for the update 00:47  |  Reid 19/05/08
      74.   Lebanese Druze - Thanks for the update 00:51  |  Reid 19/05/08
      75.   #1 Natallie 00:53  |  SUZANNE H 19/05/08
      76.   Mark Lincoln Hizballah Reporter 03:31  |  George W. Bush 19/05/08
      77.   #43, RICH, cause if you were smart 03:39  |  VIPER 19/05/08
      78.   not the job of an Iranian & Syrian terror group to defend Lebanon 04:38  |  zionist forever 19/05/08
      79.   hezbollah are causing the wars so Iran can spread its influence 05:02  |  zionist forever 19/05/08
      80.   Destroy Hizbollah Already 06:00  |  Baruch Gold 19/05/08
      81.   Zionist forver lies or ignorance ? 09:25  |  Truth 19/05/08
      82.   i get a kick out of all the presumptuous statements of hate... 10:39  |  eric 19/05/08
      83.   hezbollah 06:55  |  survivor 23/05/08
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