Here are the highlights of his speech
-I want to focus briefly on the negotiations, the content of the agreement, and the remaining phase for the complete execution of the agreement.
-In light of the importance and sensitive nature of our topic today, I will discuss the topic without an introduction ... My talk in this press conference will not affect the prisoner swap. I will leave my other talk until the day when the detainees are freed.
-The UK's decision today to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization is suspicious , but an honor and a medal for us and does not surprise me, as this is a founding country for Israel... the country of Balfour, the country currently home to Salman Rushdie, the country that honored the writer who insulted the Prophet and Muslims everywhere...Whoever accuses our Prophet of all that... will naturally accuse the resistance of terrorism.
-Regarding the negotiations, after the end of the 2006 war and the issuance of UN resolution 1701, there was a need for efforts to release the detainees... The mediator was the UN and its Secretary General, and not Germany as the media has reported. The UN Secretary General appointed a German mediator... but the sponsor is the UN and its Secretary General.
-From the onset of the negotiations, we were tightlipped to make sure the process was safe and secure... Our main concern was the humanitarian aspect, or the return of detainees and the return of corpses to the homeland. If any information was leaked, we did not leak it, and we berated those who leaked information, who acknowledged their act.
-What we have learned from previous negotiations is that the media only complicates the process.
-The liberation of Samir Quntar was the main issue... and serious negotiations should remain outside the media and its complications, for we wanted to reach a result. Therefore, as you've noticed, this was the first time an Israeli official comments on an issue... The negotiations were long and complicated... slow at times, and at times it would come to a complete halt ... but we never reached the point where the negotiations were over and we had to look for an alternative means to resolve the issue.
-Our negotiating team is extremely dedicated ,capable and experienced, and made so many efforts. I also want to mention the tireless efforts of the German mediator.
-For over a year, we could not agree on the principles of the agreement... The principles we proposed stressed that the agreement should cover all Lebanese detainees, including Samir Quntar. Secondly, the bodies of all Lebanese or Palestinians in mass graves must be returned to us. Thirdly, we want closure on the dossiers of all those lost before and after 1983... The release of Palestinian and Arab prisoners was a principle we worked on in the negotiations, as well as the four Iranian diplomats whom we believe the Lebanese Forces handed over to the Israeli enemy.
-Israel was concerned with the issue of the two soldiers, and 10 soldiers detained in Lebanon after the July War. When it came to the principles we suggested, Israel agreed to all except the release of Samir Quntar.
-Israel refused to release Samir Quntar and the Palestinian and Arab detainees at first. For a year, we held firmly to our principles and they to theirs. In the past few months, however, what was called "humanitarian incentives" were taken... and then, the resistance received the bodies of two of its martyrs and handed over the body of an Israeli soldier. The final step before the final agreement was the release of Nassim Nisr and our handover of the bodies of Israeli soldiers... We will talk of the details of Samir Quntar's release on the day he returns.
-Israel insists that Yahiyah Skaff died... we asked for his body, to give to his family, but Israel declined to hand it over... DNA tests will reveal whether Yahiyah is among the bodies we are to receive, or whether he remains detained by Israel.
-Approximately 200 bodies should be returned to Lebanon. The families of the martyrs know the feeling when their child or father is returned to them after so many years... The most important honor for these martyrs, then, is named graves, and not numbers in mass graves.
-The German mediator is to receive a report on the four Iranian diplomats in the coming days, and in parallel, we will submit a written report on the Israeli airman.
-We agreed with Hamas not to tie our negotiations with Israel to theirs.
From our perspective, and from that of the Palestinians, the release of Palestinian detainees is symbolic and important. We agreed then that I send a letter to the UN Secretary General ... and the international community to work for the release of the women and children imprisoned. The UN will do something about this.
-Regarding the Arab detainees, the UN Secretary General said that, as this involves so many countries, he will work with [Israel] to resolve it.
-Although Israel, Palestine and many monitors spoke in detail, I will not speak in detail of Samir Quntar ... for there are so many more who remain in prison.
-We accepted this agreement, and we think it is important. Today I officially announce that we accept the agreement.
-Our team agreed on technicalities with the mediator. The timing should be specified soon... but if we attempt to set a date, Israel will fight and counter that, but I expect it will happen in a week or two. There are Israeli legal and judicial issues on Samir Quntar's release.
-I have three concluding points. First, I congratulate all Lebanese on this victory... I hope that all Lebanese consider this achievement theirs, this victory theirs. We do not want to use this victory for internal gains, for this is our culture. No one should feel defeated, or feel this is a message to them. I hope the Lebanese appreciate the importance of this achievement, for if it is completed, Lebanon will be the first Arab country in the Israeli-Arab struggle to close the detainee file. No Lebanese bodies will remain in Israel. Lebanon will be the first country to have achieved this, after having liberating all its lands excepting the Shebaa Farms and Kafr Shouba.
-The second point is the bodies that will return to Lebanon... Our national and ethical responsibility is to maintain what these martyrs sacrificed and died for, and their funerals should be a national, unified event, a chance for the Lebanese to meet again... I personally announce Hezbollah's absolute openness to any political meeting under any title and in any context if it helps in uniting Lebanon, preserving civil peace and overcoming the previous phase in Lebanon.
-The final point is ... that we should ... bridge the gap between the Lebanese during the reception of the bodies. Allow me to speak firmly against celebratory gunfire. I spoke kindly, but apparently it did not work. We can no longer tolerate that there should be victims of gunfire whenever there is a national celebration or a leader speaks... Anyone who fires a gun to celebrate is firing that gun at me, at my head, at my heart... So all those who truly love and appreciate the resistance must know this. Every building should form a committee on this matter. We do not want to hear a single gunshot.
One Reporter asked : Why did you not involve the Lebanese government in your negotiations?
-We had nothing against involving the government, but after the July War and even during the war, as you remember, Speaker Nabih Berri met with many foreigners and was under a lot of pressure... Regarding the government, however, you'll remember that I said I had no objection to their involvement... We had nothing against the government holding negotiations as long as the two [Israeli] soldiers remained in our custody ... If we had handed the soldiers over to the government, how long would we have held on to them?... I'm not talking law and constitution, I'm talking facts... As yet, Israel has no clue as to whether the soldiers are dead or alive
One Reporter asked: Will you place Hezbollah's arms on the dialogue table?
-Lebanon's defense strategy was first formally mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah... We are always ready to discuss the defense strategy. We are not afraid of discussion. Anyone afraid of discussion is weak and has done something wrong. We are unafraid. We have a comprehensive defense strategy, and are ready for discussion at all times.
On a question about Shebaa farms, Nasrallah said Israeli withdrawal would not be a complete liberation because the territory would not be under Lebanese sovereignty.
On a question about Quntar Nasrallah said he is qualified to lay a major national role. Many analysts suspected that Nasrallah tried extremely hard to return Quntar to use him against PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt , just like he used General Aoun to divide the Christian community
Tags: Hezbollah, Israel, source: Now Lebanon, UK, Ya Libnan
