Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has called for dialogue among Lebanese parties, including Hezbollah and right-wing parties, stressing that it is not possible to annihilate the Shiites who are also Lebanese.
"You cannot annihilate them or tell them to go away," he told his interviewer on Sunday. "Maybe they (Hezbollah) have got weaker but they're still there. Dialogue is the only solution," he said.
Jumblat warned against civil war and said some Lebanese parties and foreign diplomats want it. "No, I will not go (to civil war)", he said.
The dialogue, Jumblat said, must seek the state's monopoly on arms.
Jumblat also warned against Israel's expansionist goals and said Lebanon should have endorsed the American-Iranian Islamabad talks instead of choosing direct negotiations with Israel, which he believes will be fruitless and "lead to nowhere."
He said Lebanon's government has tried and mistakenly thought that the Americans could pressure the Israelis to withdraw from south Lebanon. "The Israelis are trying to eradicate all the memories of south Lebanon. They might be preparing for settlements," he warned.
The Druze leader said the U.S. can help Lebanon by sending "better diplomats" and changing its policy and said Lebanon should hold talks with Iran as well because Hezbollah's decisions are taken in Tehran. "We should talk to them," he said.