BEIRUT, 18 August 2006 — Lebanon’s leading Druze politician and head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Jumblatt yesterday in northern Lebanon issued a mixed message of criticism and support for Hezbollah.

In a live televised address and press conference at his palace in the Chouf mountain town of Mokhtara, Jumblatt said he believed Hezbollah defeated Israel’s recent military operations in Lebanon, yet questioned “whether Hezbollah is a Lebanese resistance movement or an extension tool of Iranian-Syrian foreign policy.” The Druze chief also criticized what he described as Hezbollah’s unilateral actions without conferring with the Lebanese state. “Where is the state if Nasrallah speaks and acts on his own on behalf for the people and the (greater Arab) nation?” asked Jumblatt.

He also said that the issue of “disarming Hezbollah shall be resolved only through dialogue” — opposing attempts to forcefully disarm the party’s militia.

Jumblatt also questioned whether the current proposed political solution (UN Security Council Resolution 1701) can safeguard Lebanon from future Israeli aggressions.