Western countries are trying to manipulate the uprisings currently sweeping Arab countries to serve their interests at the expense of the interests of Arabs, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad said Saturday.
“There are attempts by powerful countries in the world to direct the popular uprisings [in Egypt and Tunisia] to a path that serves Western interest at the expense of our national and Arab interests,” Raad said during a ceremony in the southern village of Arbsalim.
The Hezbollah official, and head of the Loyalty to the resistance parliamentary bloc, said that there are Arab countries that support a Western direction for the sake of gaining power or maintaining their political status in the world.
Hezbollah secretary general Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has warned that there is an American-Israeli project to divide countries in the region, referring to unrest in North Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Syria.
“When these countries are divided, this plan would reach [as far as] Saudi Arabia and it will not stop. This is the American-Israeli project; this is the new Middle East,” Nasrallah said during a speech broadcast on June 1.
Many countries including regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have all applied pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the use of violence against anti government protesters, moves Hezbollah believe to be part of a larger conspiracy targeting Assad’s rule.
Raad said that Western countries should put their efforts into resolving their own domestic problems, referring to the “occupy Wall Street” movement which began in October in New York. Hundreds of demonstrators are protesting against home foreclosures, high unemployment and the 2008 bailouts.
He also said Europe should focus on resolving its financial problems.
