BEIRUT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticized on Friday the Lebanese government's decision to appoint a civilian representative to a committee tasked with engaging in talks with Israel, calling the measure "an additional slip added to the slip of August 5."
The reference to August 5 points to a contentious cabinet meeting held on that date, during which the government debated a plan to disarm Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control.
By citing the August 5 meeting, Qassem implied that the government is reinforcing what Hezbollah views as a "dangerous" concession -- first, the call for disarmament, and now the inclusion of a civilian in talks with "the enemy."
He said that such steps wrongly assume compliance from Israel and disregard Lebanon's need for deterrence.
Rejecting calls to dismantle Hezbollah's armed capacity, Qassem insisted that "no one can strip us of the ability to defend," adding that Hezbollah remains prepared for maximum confrontation if required.
He also accused the United States of interfering in Lebanese defense matters and reaffirmed that issues north of the Litani River remain "an internal Lebanese matter."
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday. Lebanon's delegation for the talks was headed by former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam. ■
