Where is the criticism of Hezbollah?

Sir,

I have noticed that there is no criticism of Hezbollah in your newspaper for its latest attacks in Lebanon. I am sure if it had been Israel, then the media in Cyprus, which in the past has been biased, would have criticised it.

The latest events in Lebanon show that Hezbollah and Syria, which accommodates Hezbollah, are the enemies of peace in that country. That country has suffered long enough from civil war and I believe the best way forward is for both the Muslims and Christians of Lebanon to sit down and have talks on having a federal government with a new constitution just as the Greek and Turkish Cypriots are doing in Cyprus. Hezbollah must totally disband and there must be a new secular government where the two communities should be free to practice their own religion.

Lebanon should have full and normal diplomatic relations with Israel since it is in its interests to do so because they could co-operate together in the fields of tourism, agriculture, commerce and other areas. Cyprus, which is also a neighbour of Israel, has good bilateral relations with Israel and also with its Arab neighbours, and there is no reason why Lebanon should not be the same. Also Egypt and Israel have had peaceful relations with each other for a number of years now.

Israel will not attack Lebanon if there is not a threat to it there. As for the strip of land at the Israeli Lebanese border which is occupied by Israel I am sure Lebanon can make a small concession for the sake of the greater good, it is a small price to pay and once Lebanon is stable and there is no Hezbollah in it, maybe Israel too would agree to make some concession in that area once trust has been built up. The UN could play a greater role in this area, but the goal should be to have a safe and normal border crossing so even tourists can pass from one country to another without any problems.

Lebanon should improve relations with the EU and, who knows, one day it could apply for a privileged partnership with the EU, the fact that it’s population is partly Christian and could claim to be European will help. If Turkey, which is almost totally Muslim, can apply for full membership, I cannot see why Lebanon which has a smaller population and which is partly Christian could not apply for a privileged partnership if it were a conflict-free country.  

It is Hezbollah and its supporters that are the problem in Lebanon, stopping it from becoming a prosperous, peaceful European-style state.

Yiannakis Panayi

London SW3, UK

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.