Na’srallah ‘Reaffirms’ Doha Ban on Arms for Political Gain

Hizbullah chief Sheikh Sayyid Hasan Na’srallah told a Beirut rally on Monday that he "reaffirms" the Doha agreement’s ban on using arms to achieve political gains. The statement comes after Hizbullah emerged the big winner in the Qatari-brokered deal that followed Hizbullah-initiated violence, which left more than 60 people dead in days of fighting in the streets. Shortly after Na’srallah’s speech, his supporters engaged government loyalists in a gun battle in the streets of downtown Beirut. At least 16 were reported wounded in the firefight. The Doha deal paved the way for army chief Michel Suleiman to assume the presidency of Lebanon, and left pro-Syrian opposition party, Hizbullah, with veto power over the new government’s decisions. The U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution requiring the disarming of all groups except the Lebanese army, but Hizbullah has vowed to ignore the demand and there is virtual consensus that no political force, Suleiman included, will be able to separate Hizbullah from its arsenal.