London Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, 3 Jan 99, reports an interview with Deputy Muhammad Ra'd,
Hizballah's Political Bureau Chairman, by Tamam Hamdan in Beirut

Hamdan] Do you believe that firing Katyusha rockets on northern Israel is enough to prevent
it from perpetrating other massacres against civilians in southern Lebanon?

[Ra'd] We are complying with the April Understanding in our resistance action. The repeated
violations by the Israeli enemy are forcing the [Islamic] Resistance to use rockets as a
deterrent retaliation in order to control the enemy's performance in accordance with the
concept of the Understanding. When the Israeli enemy decides to bring this Understanding
down, then there is nothing left for us to regret. The Resistance will then take appropriate
action against every hostile Israeli move.

[Hamdan] It is noted that the "April Understanding" has become, as it were, just a "false
witness" and its committee's work is limited to recording the violations and condemning this
or that side?

[Ra'd] We support the continued existence of this Understanding as long as it provides
through its committee certain levels of neutrality for civilians because this is in the interest of
our kinsfolk and people. But when the Israelis disregard it and our people become their
target, then there is nothing left for us to regret or lose by having the Resistance adopt means
which it can well use.

[Hamdan] How does Hizballah view the future of the situation in the region, specially after the
US and British strike on Iraq?

[Ra'd] The Americans and Israelis belong to the same political school of dealing with
peoples. It is the school of hegemony and control and of belittling and disdaining peoples,
their values, existence, and roles.

In the international arena, we see a division over the UN terms of reference and over what
measures to take against some countries' or regimes' violations of the Security Council's
resolutions or international law. It is an important and good sign when Russia, France, or
Germany object to the United States and tell it you are not the authority charged with applying
international law away from the Security Council. This is a good sign so that unilateral action
will not remain the feature of US behavior.

[Hamdan] How do you classify Hizballah's attitude toward Lebanon's new regime? Will you
oppose or support the authority after withholding your vote of confidence from the
Government? What will your relations with this Government be?

[Ra'd] We did in fact show our confidence in the head of the new regime, Gen. Emile Lahhud
and nominated the head of the regime's first Government on that basis. As to our position
toward the new Government, we did not withdraw confidence from it. To abstain from voting
does not mean withdrawal of confidence.

[Hamdan] But your stand is in accord and harmony with the opponents of the new regime?

[Ra'd] Our stand was regrettably interpreted as such. As I said, to abstain from voting does not
mean withdrawal of confidence. The opposition expressed its stand by abstaining from the
vote and this possibly raised doubts about our stand. There was discord within the opposition
itself but not in our ranks when we abstained. We preferred to wait on the basis that we are
completely ready to cooperate positively with this Government to ensure success for the
measures it will take to implement many of the plans in its statement.

[Hamdan] How will this cooperation with the Government be translated?

[Ra'd] At all levels. We have no problem with this. If we object to a certain point in the
Government statement and find that there is a way for dealing with it through our dialogue
with the Government, then we do so. Objecting to one point does not mean that we will not
cooperate on many other issues with which we agree with the Government. When we
decided to abstain from voting, we did so in line with some reservations, which forced us to
wait, and on the basis of full cooperation with the Government to ensure the success of its
steps to put the Government statement into effect. We approved this statement but recorded
reservations over some points in it.

[Hamdan] What are these reservations?

[Ra'd] We do not deny that the issue of privatization is one of these reservations because we
have a principled stand on it. We hope that when the Government embarks on this program, it
will do so within a legal framework and through the Chamber of Deputies. As to the
noticeable recent US moves in Lebanon, the Government had nothing to do with them but
they ought to be taken into consideration. This sudden US interest in Lebanon began when
we abstained from voting, as if they have found something to pounce upon at this stage. The
forces that mistrust US policy in Lebanon should have warned against this presence and
moves but this warning should not mean taking stands hastily.

[Hamdan] Was your exclusion from the Government one of the reasons for these
reservations?

[Ra'd] That was not the reason, specially as we are convinced, as a matter of principle, that
the Government should not nessarily enjoy a high level of confidence from the Chamber of
Deputies. We believe that it must feel that the sword of supervision and account is hanging
over its head and should not relax in its work. Let us explain here that some people tried to
classify our abstention as siding with the opposition against the Government. But our
parliamentary bloc's daily work shows that this is not so. Our stand is different from the one
taken by the opposition. We nominated Prime Minister Salim al-Huss because his policy
differs from that of the previous Governments. I believe that it is wrong to say that our stand
serves those whom we opposed when they were in power.

[Hamdan] There are reports that the opposition is making contacts to attract you to their
ranks?

[Ra'd] I believe that the observer ought to trust our ability to attract others to our stand and not
be attracted to theirs. Our stands are well studied and discussed as widely as possible. When
we take a stand, we do so out of conviction and not hastily.

[Hamdan] How do you view the steps taken by the Government so far?

[Ra'd] I believe that the Government is trying to translate its statement into action. The steps it
has taken are acceptable and reasonable and we commented positively on them.