Lebanon's Hezbollah welcomes British initiative (Roundup)

Middle East News

Mar 6, 2009, 18:28 GMT

Beirut- The Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah welcomed Friday the British government's decision to establish contacts with the movement's parliamentarians. 'This is a good step and our group welcomes talks with anyone who is not hostile to us,' Ibrahim al Mussawi, Hezbollah's press officer, was quoted as saying on Lebanese radio stations. Hezbollah politburo member Mahmoud Komati, stressed that the talks with Britain should not be done 'secretly.' 'If Britain wants talks with our movement, they should be done publicly,' Komati said. On Thursday, the British Foreign Office confirmed that it had 'reconsidered' its position on contacts with Hezbollah, which had been branded by the US and some Western countries as a terrorist organization. 'This is in light of more positive recent political developments in Lebanon, including the formation of the National Unity Government in which Hezbollah are participating,' a spokeswoman said. Britain was 'exploring certain contacts' at an official level with Hezbollah's political wing, including members of parliament, but would have no contacts with the movement's military wing, which was proscribed by the British government in July 2008. Britain has had no official talks with Hezbollah since 2005. Hezbollah (Arabic for 'Party of God'), was created after Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In the 1980s, it was linked to hostage-taking and acts of terrorism. The group is credited for leading resistance against Israel's 22-year occupation of Lebanon.

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