Hezbollah urges tolerance in Lebanon

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:41:11 GMT
Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah calls on all Lebanese groups to help spread the spirit of religious tolerance and solidarity.

Peace in Lebanon is a matter of national interest because it can pave the way for national dialogue, Nasrallah said in a Tuesday address to a group of clerics in Beirut.

"I call on clerics of all religions, members of parliament and the media to try and spread the spirit of dialogue, tolerance, friendship, and solidarity by focusing on the people's commonalities," he added.

Nasrallah's comments came a day after head of the Hezbollah Political Council Sheikh Ibrahim Amin Al-Sayyed, and Sheikh Hassan al-Shahhal from the Salafist side signed an agreement which prohibits any Muslim group from attacking fellow Muslims.

Salafists are Sunni Muslims, who mostly reside in northern cities of Tripoli and Akkar. The deal was struck after incidents of conflicts between followers from both sides.

Later on the same day, however, Lebanese media reported that the Salafist group had 'temporarily frozen' the agreement signed with Hezbollah.

Shahhal, who had signed the deal just a day earlier, announced the temporary suspension in a news conference in Tripoli Tuesday evening.

MJ/MMN. Original source