Beirut (AsiaNews) - Hezbollah wants a referendum to determine whether or not the Lebanese want them to possess weapons. The unique proposal has been issued by Party of God parliamentarian Hussein Hajj Hassan.
The dissolution of the armed group is stipulated by the UN resolution on Lebanon, but Hezbollah has always opposed it, saying that weapons are needed for the country's "resistance" against Israel. The effort at normalization underway in Lebanon, following the Doha agreements - which permitted the election of the country's president and the creation of a national unity government - now tends to bring into question the existence of a genuine armed force parallel to the national army, which is what Hezbollah is. This has led to the discussion, and to the proposal by Hajj Hassan.
The member of parliament has also responded to the objection that a referendum of this kind is not considered by the constitution, asserting that in any case it "does not mean changing the regime."