BEIRUT – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Friday that pressuring Israel into achieving peace in the region is important, the local Now Lebanon news website reported. During a meeting with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison as well as with US National Security Advisor James Jones, Hariri added that the Palestinian cause was of central concern to the other Arab states. According to Hariri, Lebanon is firm in its conviction that Palestinians have the right to return, because "a resolution that omits the right will be a threat to any peace process, and thereafter, to Lebanon's stability". Hariri also said he requested that the US back the Lebanese army to enable proper implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to face any regional dangers. The resolution 1701 ended the war between Israel and Lebanese Shi'ite armed group Hizbollah in 2006 and mandates UN peacekeepers to monitor the armistice in south Lebanon. James Jones arrived in Beirut yesterday for talks with top Lebanese officials mainly on strategic cooperation between the two countries on ways to eradicate terrorism in Lebanon and the region. He also held talks with Lebanese President Michel Souleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said during his address via video link of Arab and International Forum for Supporting the Resistance, at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut“Lebanon's strength is in its weakness” and replaced instead with “Lebanon's strength is in the solidarity of its army, people, and resistance”. “Israel today is undergoing a true crisis...The crisis of the dream and leadership, the crisis of its defeated army… the crisis of confidence in its institutions and army”. “I promise you (Lebanese), that in case of any confrontation with Israel, we will foil the aggressions' objectives, defeat the enemy, and change the face of the region.” “I call you to support the resistance against this psychological warfare, but I assure you that this war will not shake us and that we will face it through patience and self confidence.”
