Britain invites Hezbollah

UK government has dinner with Hezbollah officials but not soldiers.


BBC - 5 March 2009

UK restores links with Hezbollah

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah remains popular in Lebanon

Britain says it is re-establishing contacts with the political wing of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah.

The move follows "positive political developments" in Lebanon, officials from the UK Foreign Office said.

It comes about 10 months after Hezbollah signed a unity accord in Lebanon and joined the government.

Only last year, the government put Hezbollah's military wing on a list of proscribed organisations over its alleged training of insurgents in Iraq.

"We are exploring certain contacts at an official level with Hezbollah's political wing, including MPs," said a spokesperson for the Foreign Office.

The spokesperson said the UK was doing "all it can" to support Lebanon's unity government, of which Hezbollah's political wing is a part.

"Our objective with Hezbollah remains to encourage them to move away from violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role in Lebanese politics, in line with a range of UN Security Council Resolutions."

The spokesperson said Britain would continue to have no contact with Hezbollah's military wing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7927025.stm

--

BBC - 4 March 2009

UK mulls lifting ban on Hezbollah

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah maintains a wide following

By Paul Adams - Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News

Britain is considering dropping a ban on contact with the political wing of the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, a British minister has confirmed.

The government has had no official talks with Hezbollah since 2005.

But the UK's ambassador in Beirut has had contact with at least one Hezbollah politician since the group joined the country's unity government last June.

British ministers say there are no similar plans to open a dialogue with the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

Hard to avoid

Only last year, the government put Hezbollah's military wing on a list of proscribed organisations over its alleged training of insurgents in Iraq.

But speaking to members of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell confirmed that the government is now looking for ways to establish contact with the organisation's political wing.

Since last summer, the party has been part of Lebanon's national unity government and officials admit that contact is hard to avoid.

In the words of one official in London, there is a lot of political and security fragility in Lebanon - which he says means the UK should do what it can to support the government.

There is no such rethink going on with regard to the Palestinian group, Hamas.

Mr Rammell said the government wanted to get to a position where it could engage directly with Hamas.

But he said there had to be substantive movement towards internationally agreed principles, including the rejection of violence and recognition of Israel's right to exist, before that could happen.


FROM OTHER NEWS SITES:
Haaretz: US says no plans to renew contact with Hezbollah
Arab News: US assures Lebanon over Syria overtures
Lebanon Daily Star: Feltman to tell Syria: 'Lebanon is for the Lebanese'
Washington Post: Hezbollah wants dialogue with Britain to be public
Xinhua News Agency Hezbollah welcomes Britain's decision to engage in direct talks

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7924849.stm