Nasrallah ‘extraordinary’ Mideast figure: WikiLeaks founder

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has described Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah as "one of the most extraordinary figures in the Middle East."

Assange made the comment before he interviewed the Lebanese resistance leader on Tuesday in the debut of his "The World Tomorrow" talk show on Russia's RT cable broadcaster. 

Speaking from Lebanon, Nasrallah explained Hezbollah’s stance on the unrest of Syria and Israel, in what the news channel described as his first interview in the West since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. 

He confirmed the resistance movement’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, highlighting Syria's sustained support for the resistance in Lebanon and the Palestinian cause in the face of Israeli and US pressure. 

The resistance figure also revealed contacts made by Hezbollah to persuade the Syrian opposition to join the negotiating table and to resolve their differences with the government through dialogue. 

“This is the first time I say this - We contacted […] the opposition to encourage them and to facilitate the process of dialogue with the regime. But they rejected dialogue,” he said. 

“Right from the beginning we have had a regime that is willing to undergo reforms and prepared for dialogue. On the other side, you have an opposition which is not prepared for dialogue and it is not prepared to accept reforms. All it wants is to bring down the regime. This is a problem,” he pointed out. 

Nasrallah berated the international community and Western-backed media outlasts for turning a blind eye to the killing of civilians by anti-government armed groups and their biased criticism against Damascus. 

He emphasized that "civil war is the only alternative" in the absence of dialogue. “There is fighting in Syria - when one party retreats, the other will advance, it will go on as long as doors to dialogue are shut." 

"This is exactly what America and Israel want… Arab states are ready for tens of years of dialogue with Israel but won't have two months to try a political solution in Syria," he regretted. 

Regarding Israel, Nasrallah insisted that the Israeli regime “is and will be an illegal state" because "it was established on the basis of occupying the lands of others.” 

He said the Palestinian land seized by force remains Palestinian even after long years of Israeli occupation. 

The only solution to the issue of Palestine is the formation of a democratic Palestinian homeland where Muslims, Jews and Christians can live in peace. 
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