Old rivalries reappear at the opening of Lebanon's multi-confessional parliament, reports Mohalhel Fakih from Beirut Muslim Shia parties in Lebanon have rejected calls by Christian Maronite MPs and the Maronite Church to offer amnesty to former Israeli-allied militiamen who served in the "South Lebanon Army" during Israel's 22-year occupation of South Lebanon. Shia parties said the "collaborators" must face Lebanese courts, but appeared to keep the door open for the return of their families. "The issue of collaborators has nothing to do with national reconciliation, but it endangers national conciliation and stability," Hizbullah's top official in South Lebanon, Sheikh Nabil Qawook said. However, Qawook left the door open for family members of the now defunct militia to return "to their homes", and insisted that the fighters face court sentences in Lebanon. Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir first proposed extending an amnesty law that would allow the return of some 6,000 militiamen and their families. He said national reconciliation moves, which have so far included the return of former army commander General Michel Aoun from France and the release of ex-warlord Samir Geagea from prison as well as Muslim Sunni men accused of launching a 2000 insurrection, should also extend to the force that was equipped and controlled by Israel until May 2000. MP Aoun officially asked parliament to grant South Lebanon Army members an amnesty. He said they are "refugees" who "are now considered collaborators". Aoun told the newly elected parliament -- the first since Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April -- that militiamen worked under Israel's command due to government shortcomings during Israel's occupation of a large swathe of Lebanese territory along Israel's border. Sheikh Qawook soon pointed out that Hizbullah never prevented their return. About 2,500 militiamen and their families have trickled across the border in the past five years, many served court sentences of up to a year for "collaboration" with Israel. Qawook said their sect should have no bearing on their fate. Although most top commanders of the South Lebanon Army were Maronites and Christians from other denominations, many Shia Muslims served in the Israeli-backed force too. Amal, the second powerful Muslim Shia group, led by House Speaker Nabih Berri, vowed to block the amnesty proposal. Berri said the bill would not go through parliament. His ally in the south, Jamil Hayek, said Israeli allied militiamen have "their hands tarnished in the blood" of innocent Lebanese civilians. The soldiers and their families had fled after Israel decided to withdraw from Lebanon. They feared retribution from the local population and from Hizbullah, which spearheaded the armed campaign that forced Israel to pullout. Together Hizbullah and Amal have 30 MPs in the 124-member parliament. Hizbullah also has a sitting minister in the new cabinet, which won the parliament's confidence last week, despite pressure by the United States that brands Hizbullah a terrorist organisation. Prime Minister Fouad Al-Siniora appointed Mohamed Fneish, a Hizbullah member, as energy minister as part of a deal that reflected the results of legislative elections. The group and Amal ran on the same electoral ticket on a platform of rejecting United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, which demanded the disarmament of Hizbullah, after the resolution's main clause -- Syria's withdrawal -- was completed. Tensions over granting an amnesty to South Lebanon Army fighters overshadowed moves here to launch a national dialogue on Hizbullah's weapons. Maronite MP Boutros Harb, who is close to Patriarch Sfeir, said a pardon should now be limited to the families of militiamen and made it clear that Lebanon is facing tough times ahead amid rising tension and a minor clash between Shia and Maronite youths in the border village of Qoleia, which authorities said was not related to political debate. Prime Minister Al-Siniora has defended Hizbullah, telling visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month that Lebanon should be allowed to conduct its own political negotiations over the fate of Hizbullah's armed wing. The government so far supports Hizbullah's occasional clashes with Israel along the border near the Syrian Golan Heights, occupied by Israel. The United Nations had ruled that the region -- the Shebaa Farms -- belonged to Damascus but was occupied by Israel. However, Syria and Lebanon claimed it was Lebanese. Meanwhile, Beirut and Damascus agreed to resolve a crisis along their common border, to allow thousands of trucks carrying Lebanese products to the Gulf to cross the crucial land link. Some Lebanese officials have accused Syria of imposing a "blockade" on Lebanon to punish the country for electing a majority anti- Syrian parliament, but Syria said it was simply implementing stricter security measures.
