[LCM Articles] Siniora Interview with ABC

[Loai Naamani]

Fuad Siniora Speaks With ABC News on Middle East Crisis


July 31, 2006 - - The following is a transcript of ABC News correspondent
David Wright's interview with Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, a day
after Israel's air raid on Qana in southern Lebanon.

David Wright: Israel at this point has expressed its deep regrets. Do you
accept Israel's apologies, and its explanation?

Fuad Siniora: Well . No . first of all, the attack against Qana happens for
the second time. Just 10 years ago the Israelis committed a similar crime.
There was an outpost for the U.N. People were sheltered in that outpost, and
they were bombarded by the Israelis killing more than 100 civilians. This
time some civilians, most of them children, took shelter in a building that
was bombed by the Israelis. The bombing of that building didn't just come as
a mistake. In fact, they bombarded that city all that night and scores of
raids were made against that city.

Wright: I was hearing 80 separate airstrikes overnight.

Siniora: Yes. Then they attacked that building, a civilian building. And it
killed that many people without any mercy. Now, besides that, throughout the
past 19 days, they have been bombing several civilian buildings, and this is
not the first of the kind. It happens after so many other villages and towns
in the south of Lebanon have been bombed and several smaller massacres were
done by the Israelis. 

By bombarding Qana, and after what happened 10 years ago, an incident that
was condemned by the whole world in 1996, they are repeating it. No apology
is accepted.

Wright: Israelis insist that Hezbollah is firing rockets from that town.

Siniora: Well, what do you expect as an excuse?

Wright: They've released video showing what they say are rockets being fired
from Qana . 

Siniora: I think with present technology you can do anything.

Wright: So, you feel that these accounts were made up?

Siniora: Yes, you can do anything with present technology. 

I think this is a crime, a crime against human decency, against humanity.
What they have done is unacceptable. I want to address all the American
people, the American mothers who have seen these pictures, whether they
really accept such crimes being committed against Lebanon, against the small
children. What they have done to be killed in such a matter. I think that
such an act should be condemned by everybody: by the American people, by the
American administration. I believe that something has to be done quickly to
stop this massacre, to stop this indecency that is being committed by the
Israelis. They have to immediately call for a cease-fire.

The U.S. and everybody. We have to have an immediate cease-fire because this
thing will continue, and let me tell you ... what are the Israelis
achieving?

Wright: Well, lets get to that in a second. . But before, are you satisfied
with the efforts of the Bush administration thus far?

Siniora: The American administration is doing [something about it] and I
believe that some more has to be done in terms of exercising real pressure
on the Israelis.. I believe that some more has to be done in terms of
exercising real pressure on the Israelis. I don't think that what has been
done is enough yet. Something more has to be done and the Israelis are
giving all sorts of excuses. "We cannot give concessions to Hezbollah!" They
are not giving concessions to Hezbollah. They are giving concessions to
humanity. This is what is required.

Wright: The Israeli representative to the U.N. spoke in front of the
Security Council last night and said that Hezbollah is a monster of your
responsibility, that the blood is on your hands because you never sent your
troops down to southern Lebanon to deal with it.

Siniora: Let me tell you. Assuming that it is a monster, who created that
monster? Israel created that monster. Israel, who has been behind all this
movement by being intransigent and not accepting to do what is necessary.
How? By continuing the occupation. 

Let Israel withdraw from the occupied territory. Israel has been responsible
throughout for this feeling of humiliation in the Muslim world. This feeling
that there is no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. To what is really
being done in Lebanon, Israel is responsible. Israel has been behind the
creating of Hezbollah. 

Israel came to Lebanon in 1982 to finish, as they say, [the] PLO. What they
did -- they thought that they had finished [the] PLO. They didn't, but what
they did is put the seed for the creation of what they call "another
monster."

Wright: Is Hezbollah a monster?

Siniora: No, I'm using their term. It's not.

Wright: How do you see Hezbollah? 

Siniora: Well, Hezbollah in all sincerity, I can tell you that Hezbollah is
a party that really had a very effective role in achieving the withdrawal of
Israel from most of the parts of Lebanon that were occupied by Israel in
1978-1982. But there are Israelis still occupying the Sheba farms. Hezbollah
has members in the parliament and members in our Cabinet. They have their
own principles, they have their own ways of doing things, we share, we don't
share certain aspects and so on, but the point is that Hezbollah has a
certain objective of freeing the Lebanese territories.

They had the incident of July 12. We, as the Lebanese government, made
ourselves very clear that we didn't know about it, that we take no
responsibility and that we disavow. 

Wright: Are you angry at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into a war that you
didn't decide to enter?

Siniora: I believe that this is something that we have all agreed that is
not the time to look into this. Now that the whole country is being
subjected to an aggression. And this thing has to finish, and the Lebanese
government has decided to step in to find a solution, for the reasons that
led to the incident of July 12 and what really came after that. I want to
find a solution to the abducted soldiers and the detainees.

You know that Israel has been detaining several Lebanese in its prisons for
the past 28 years.

Wright: Some of them are accused of murder?

Siniora: Well . 

Wright: They are serving life sentences for murder

Siniora: Well, I don't want to get into this because ...

Wright: But it is relevant, isn't it?

Siniora: Well, yeah, I mean, look Samir Qantar was at one time considered a
murderer. 

Wright: So you see these men as patriots?

Siniora: Well, it depends how you look at it. What we say is we have many
things in which we differ, and many in which we find similarities. But this
incident we disavow. The Lebanese government is not responsible for that.

What we say is we want to finish with this type of action and reaction. They
say they want to finish with this monster as they say . How?

Wright: I think that what the Bush administration and the Israeli
administration want to see, Hezbollah disarmed and moved back out of
southern Lebanon.

Siniora: And we want to see the Lebanese government prevail all over
Lebanon, and that there won't be any weapon in the country other than the
weapon of the legitimate authority.

Wright: So you share the goal of wanting to disarm Hezbollah.

Siniora: Ultimately, yes. This has been made very clear.

Wright: How can this be done?

Siniora: I think there is a very simple solution. Israel has to withdraw.
Why are they still there? What are they doing? Are they more secure? Are
they safer now? No, they are not.

Consider yourself in a situation where your country is still occupied by a
foreign country. What do you do? You may have different ways or means of
doing it, but at least you refuse it, isn't it?

Wright: The French foreign minister is here today. There is a lot of talk of
the French being the leader of the peacekeeping talks. What is the latest on
that?

Siniora: Well, we met together and there are so many ideas we are talking
about. France is interested in helping. We are trying to see what are the
ideas we are coming up with and how to coordinate with the ideas presented
by Secretary Rice.

Wright: France says it will only come in if there is a cease-fire, and
Israel will only call a cease-fire if there is an international force
deployed . 

Siniora: That's a catch-22. It's impossible for an international force to
come in if there is no cease-fire and a clear framework for a settlement.

Wright: Have you been given a private assurance by the Bush administration
that we are now closer to a solution?

Siniora: That's what Secretary Rice has been saying in her press conference
this morning. That there is some progress.

Wright: But she is still not using the phrase "immediate cease-fire."

Siniora: They are not using the phrase "immediate cease-fire," and they are
not talking about the withdrawal from Sheba farms. The withdrawal from Sheba
farms is an essential thing . 

Wright: These are groups of farms that were occupied by Israel in 1949?

Siniora: No, they were occupied by Israel in 1967 until 1989. Over 22 years
they have been chewing piece after piece.

Wright: Sir, as we finish the third week of this terrible situation, are you
any more confident that it will soon come to a close?

Siniora: Despite all the agony and the anger and the destruction, I did not
lose my hope. I'm still a believer of my country, of God, in peace and
peace-loving nations, that they are really going to do their best to put
pressure on Israel to withdraw. And I will tell all the Israelis in the
world that what is being done by their government is not the right thing
that will lead them to more security. It will lead to more death, to more
hatred. It will not achieve any objective, because using force has shown
over the years not to give any result.

I believe that there is a golden opportunity, despite all the darkness that
we are living in now, this is the time when historic men can really convert
a problem situation, a catastrophe, into an opportunity. They can be brave
enough to say "yes, the problem is the occupation, we have to withdraw from
Sheba, we are not giving concessions to Hezbollah." They are giving
concessions for peace, security, safety of their northern border.

We said that this was our objective and we put it in our seven-point plan
that has been agreed upon by the Lebanese government. This is a time for the
Israelis to say that this is an opportunity, lets grab it. Lebanon is saying
"I am willing to comply with the armistice of 1949, with all the necessary
amendments to that." After that, this is another jump they can really make,
to seize the opportunity available now, to go to peace.

This is something that requires brave, historic men in order to make peace
for the Israelis. We have learned a very important lesson: No matter how
many weapons you can pile up, no matter how sophisticated, that cannot bring
security. What brings security is good relations with your neighbors.

Let's not go around the bush. Directly go to the root of the problem, and
you'll find the solution.

Wright: The framework of the peace that is being worked out right now, will
Hezbollah accept it?

Siniora: We have already presented our seven points. And they are quite
clear, very clear. This has been agreed by the government, including
Hezbollah members.

Wright: Well, I hope, sir, that this terrible conflict is over soon, and I
wish you good luck in trying to work for a peaceful settlement.

Siniora: Thank you.

Wright: Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us.

Copyright C 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

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