US 'Not Ready' to Follow UK Contact With Hezbollah

Shortly after Britain decided to reconsider its position towards Hezbollah in light of "more positive developments within Lebanon", the United States disavows from its ally's decision. The US State department spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters Friday that the US "is not ready" to follow Britain in opening any contact with Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance.

Duguid said that US President Barack Obama's administration, which has promised to reach out to US foes, had been consulted by Britain before the announcement Friday. But Duguid insisted the new administration was following longstanding US policy -- including that of the preceding George W. Bush administration -- to shun contacts with "Hezbollah's political and armed wings".

"We are not ready to take the same step, no. Our position on Hezbollah has not changed," Duguid told reporters, declining to either praise or criticize the British move.

However, the United States seemed interested in the results of the British contacts with Hezbollah when Duguid said "we will watch how that proceeds."

In London, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Friday that he allowed the contacting of junior Hezbollah officials to announce his country's commitment to the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which, he noted, "called among other things, to dissolve the militias."

The move entails a sharp change to earlier British policy declared in 2005, when the government made it clear that it would talk with neither the group's military nor political branches. In July 2008 the government added Hezbollah’s military wing to its list of "banned organizations."

Yet, Miliband noted that Hezbollah's 'military wing' was still banned in Britain but emphasized that the party was represented in the Lebanese national unity government, formed last July.

For its part, Hezbollah hailed Britain's move as a "step in the right direction", Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim al-Moussawi declared. "This policy revision is a step in the right direction and we shall see how it translates in practical terms," Moussawi added.

BRITISH-HEZBOLLAH CONTACTS BENEFITIAL: US OFFICIAL

A State Department official told reporters on the condition of anonymity that Washington envisioned possible benefits from the British decision and would consult with Britain about its contacts with Hezbollah.

"If they can use some positive influence with Hezbollah, that would be a positive factor," the official said. "We are looking for a comprehensive approach" to defusing tensions in the Middle East, he added.

"Any of the nations who are currently active in the Middle East trying to bring about peace can also look at a comprehensive way to engage the parties in conflict or other groups and we will see how that proceeds," he said. "For the moment, we are not following that same path," the official added