INTERVIEW, Page 58A Voice Of the HizballahSheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, elusive leader of thepro-Iranians holding hostages in Lebanon, talks of terrorand moneyBy William Dowell
Q. How will the death of Ayatullah Khomeini and Hashemi
Rafsanjani's election as President of Iran affect the Hizballah?
A. I am not the official spokesman for the Hizballah, so I
cannot answer this question as an involved person, but I can speak
as an observer. There is no major change in strategy, but there is
a change in approach, caused by the phase that Iran is now
entering. The previous phase was one of war and building the
Revolution. The current phase is one of peace and rebuilding the
country. The conditions put forward by Rafsanjani for restoring
relations with the U.S. are the same ones he put forward during the
life of the Imam (Khomeini). They are that America should stop its
aggressive policy against Iran and that America can express that
by releasing the frozen Iranian assets.
Q. It will be difficult for the U.S. to free Iranian assets so
long as American hostages are being held in Lebanon.
A. The two cases are very different. When America froze Iran's
assets, it was a big country taking an illegal action. The problem
of the hostages is related to individuals, who might be friendly
to Iran but who, from a legal point of view, are not responsible
as a country. The hostages were not kidnaped by Iran. They were
kidnaped by organizations in Lebanon that may not have any
relationship to Iran.
Q. Americans are convinced that Iran financed these movements.
A. That is one point of view. Many countries finance movements
but do not interfere in their day-to-day operations. America
finances Israel with more than $3 billion a year; can we as Arabs
or Muslims assume that the U.S. is responsible for everything
Israel is doing now?
Q. That is exactly the point of view the Hizballah takes.
A. We believe that America is responsible for what Israel does
because there is a strategic alliance between the U.S. and Israel.
Do Americans accept our accusations; do you agree with the charges
we make?
Q. No, of course not.
A. If Americans don't accept our accusations, why do they make
the same kind of accusations against us? As I see it, the kidnaping
of American hostages is the result of political turbulence. The
problem is the violence that Israel's presence has imposed on the
region. We do not consider kidnaping to be a humane act. We do not
think it is right for a human being to take away the freedom of
another human being. We have been working recently to educate
people at the Friday prayers against this method.
Q. Many of the Friday prayer sermons have been strongly
anti-American.
A. We are not against the American people, but we are against
the policy of the American Administration, especially as it relates
to Israel.
Q. When Americans see the case of Colonel Higgins, who was
hanged, Americans who know nothing about Lebanon are suddenly
filled with hatred. Isn't it time now to call on the people
responsible to stop?
A. We understand these feelings and consider that they are
natural and human. We have been working on it, and we are still
speaking out about the necessity of closing this file. But we also
know that America has the practical means to solve the problem if
it wants.
Q. Would you now personally call on those who are holding the
hostages to let them go?
A. I have appealed to them more than 50 times. You can refer
to the Friday prayer sermons, which I use to educate the public.
I completely reject (hostage taking). There is a difference between
my opposition to American policy and physically harming American
people.
Q. Your name has often been linked in the press to the bombing
of the American Marines in Beirut. Were you involved in that?
A. I can assure you that I did not know about the bombing of
the American Marines in Beirut until after it happened. But I did
talk about it, since it represented an aspect of the opposition to
American policy in the region. There is a difference between
approving of some of the political effects and actually
participating. I told journalists after the bombing that the press
had relied on information coming from the (Christian) Phalangists.
I challenged them to produce any proof linking me to it.
Q. The United States has a new Administration under George
Bush.
A. We are watching its practical actions, but up to now we
haven't been able to form a clear picture. We are afraid that Henry
Kissinger could be harmful to the Administration. We want them to
be very cautious about Kissinger.
Q. Just what did Kissinger do that was so terrible?
A. He burned Lebanon.
Q. In what way?
A. We feel that Kissinger wanted to bury the Palestinian issue
in Lebanon to ensure that there would be no Palestinian issue to
confront the existence of Israel.
Q. There are no Americans left in Lebanon now, but the killing
goes on. The U.S. tried to exert pressure on Israel to pull out of
Lebanon, and yet you say that America is an imperialist country.
A. Naturally, if you want to improve your image, it's not
enough to cover your face with a bit of makeup. You need a plastic
surgeon. It will take a long time for people to regain their trust
in American policy. America says in regard to certain countries
that the deepening of relationships requires a lot of time. We need
more signs from American policy to regain our trust in the American
Administration.
Q. Is it possible after all these years of hatred for Iran and
the U.S. to be friends again?
A. When we look at the relationship between Islamic Iran and
the atheistic Soviet Union, and the new development of friendship
on the political and economic levels, we see that it is possible
to return to a relationship between the U.S. and Iran.
Relationships are subject to the real interests of the people and
not to personal relationships.
Q. Do you believe the Hizballah in Lebanon could eventually be
friendly toward the United States?
A. My belief is that the situation is becoming gray.
Q. But are you optimistic?
A. I am realistic. I look for optimistic signs in reality.
Q. What does that mean?
A. When the issue is gray, you do not see clearly.
Q. And the families of the hostages who are being held in
Lebanon, what would you say to those people?
A. I would like to tell them that I live their deep pain and
their human suffering concerning their beloved ones, and I
appreciate their feelings. I wish I had the realistic means to end
this human tragedy. I am working on educating the whole nation
against this method, and I wish that I could influence the people
involved. I can confirm that I have done a great deal of work in
this direction, but I have come across many closed paths.
Q. Do you think the time has come for the United States to make
a new effort to contact the Iranians and the Hizballah?
A. I believe any problem can be approached in a practical way.
I believe America should do something that generates trust and that
shows it is not against freedom.
Q. Do you think that money is the most important thing for
Iran?
A. I don't see it that way. I see the problem of the frozen
assets as an indication of whether there is a change from a hostile
policy. Naturally, this may have an effect on building Iran, but
I believe that Iran, which is already rich with its own natural
resources, will not relinquish its freedom in exchange for any
