'I ... do not want to give Israel a pretext' for new war
By Nicholas Kimbrell and Fidelius Schmid Daily Star staff Wednesday, December 24, 2008
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army is incapable of integrating Hizbullah's fighters and weapons into its force, Defense Minister Elias Murr has said in an interview with Future Television. In the interview, aired Monday night, Murr said the army did not have the capacity to absorb Hizbullah's armed wing and warned that the continued presence of the group's weapons caches could serve as a pretext for another Israeli strike.
"Why don't those who armed Hizbullah and claim to be keen on Lebanon provide the army with needed weapons?" he said. "I am keen on my country's safety and do not want to give Israel a pretext to destroy it again - on our heads - as it did in 2006."
Murr has presided over a large-scale re-equipping of the army. The United States has pledged $410 million of military aid, including training, Humvees and M-60 battle tanks. And last week during a trip to Moscow, Murr secured from Russia a promise to deliver 10 MiG-29 fighter-bombers.
While many parties in Lebanon have lauded the Russian aid, members of the March 8 opposition, particularly Hizbullah, have been relatively silent.
During the interview, Murr also offered a strong defense of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, who is widely credited with helping to facilitate Lebanon's agreement with Russia over the 10 fighter-bombers.
"Are we supposed to hold Saad Hariri accountable because he helped us and because he used his good offices to arm the Lebanese military?" Murr asked. "I do not represent the Future bloc in the Cabinet, and I don't have personal interests with Hariri, but I say to those who criticized Hariri that it is important [to help] Lebanon."
"Let them achieve 10 percent of what Hariri has achieved instead of taking part of visits and flashy receptions. Then they can criticize him," Murr added.
His comments appeared to be aimed at Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who recently embarked on a high-profile visit to Syria.
Meanwhile, in an apparent setback to plans of full-scale armament, Germany is highly unlikely to deliver tanks to the Lebanese Army, according to sources familiar with the issue. President Michel Sleiman had asked for the tanks when he visited Berlin earlier this month.
The Central News Agency on Tuesday reported that Berlin had agreed to deliver 50 Leopard tanks, the heaviest combat tank the German Army has.
A spokeswoman for Germany's Economy Ministry, the body mainly responsible for authorizing arms exports, declined to comment Tuesday. "The work of the National Security Council is confidential," she said.
However, sources in Berlin pointed out that in Germany, arms exports to potential conflict areas were forbidden by law. Lebanon, they said, still was such an area and hence a delivery of tanks was "highly unlikely to say the very least."
