Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Friday that Hezbollah (Party of God) is a security-keeping force in the south of the country. "Hezbollah is not a militia group but a military force against foreign occupation," the minister told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV channel.

It is a force that joins the government troops in safeguarding Lebanon and maintaining the country’s security, so it is supplementary to the government forces, he said. As for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which urges Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups in the country, Salloukh said it is necessary to hold an inter-Lebanese dialogue among various factions on the issue so as to reach consensus about the implementation of the resolution.

 Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Friday that Hezbollah (Party of God) is a security-keeping force in the south of the country.

"Hezbollah is not a militia group but a military force against foreign occupation," the minister told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV channel.

It is a force that joins the government troops in safeguarding Lebanon and maintaining the country’s security, so it is supplementary to the government forces, he said.

As for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which urges Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups in the country, Salloukh said it is necessary to hold an inter-Lebanese dialogue among various factions on the issue so as to reach consensus about the implementation of the resolution.