Hezbollah should disarm, Bush says

Wed., March 16, 2005

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Tuesday urged Hezbollah to disarm and to stay out of Israeli-Palestinian disputes, suggesting the militant group could shed its terrorist label and win U.S. backing for a role in Lebanon’s political mainstream.

Bush’s remarks appeared to offer Hezbollah a path toward legitimacy in the eyes of Washington, which has long regarded the Iranian-founded, anti-Israel group as a dangerous terrorist organization.

“We view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization,” Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. “I would hope that Hezbollah would prove that they are not by laying down arms and not threatening peace.”

Yet the conditions Bush set have been spurned repeatedly by Hezbollah. A U.N. Security Council resolution passed in December called for the disarmament of all militias within Lebanon, along with the withdrawal of Syria’s considerable military presence and political influence.

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Hezbollah should disarm, Bush says

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

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