Egypt says its problems are with Hezbollah, not Lebanon

May 3, 2009, 16:04 GMT

Cairo - As the war of words between Egypt and Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah continued, Egypt on Sunday insisted that its dispute was with Hezbollah, not with the state of Lebanon.

'I want to emphasize that there is no problem between the Egyptian state and the Lebanese state,' presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters on Sunday.

'Relations between Egypt and Lebanon are brotherly and harmonious, founded on links between two people with a shared history.'

Last month Egypt announced it had detained Lebanese, Arab-Israeli, and Egyptian men in December on suspicion of plotting attacks in Egypt on behalf of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, a political party with broad support among Lebanese Shiite Muslims concentrated in southern Lebanon, has members in the Lebanese cabinet. It also maintains an armed wing that in 2006 fought a war against Israel.

In the weeks since Egypt first announced the detentions, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and pro-Egyptian-government commentators have traded barbs over the alleged plot, with one Egyptian government daily calling Nasrallah a 'monkey sheikh.'

In a televised address on Friday, Nasrallah thanked Egypt for the 'media war and political war being waged by one side - the Egyptian regime.'

Nasrallah said the campaign had 'failed to tar Hezbollah's image,' but had rather 'done (Hezbollah) a great service. We thank you.'

In an annual May Day address last Wednesday, Egyptian Preisdent Hosny Mubarak made a veiled warning to Hezbollah, saying 'foreign powers seek to sabotage Egypt through Islamic movements. ... We tell them: We might tolerate their insults, but we will firmly face their plans. ... Beware of Egypt's wrath.'

'We had hoped to see Egypt's wrath when thousands of Palestinians were murdered in Gaza,' Nasrollah said in response, referring to the 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip by the State of Israel to stem the firing of missiles from the salient.

On Sunday, Awad, Mubarak's spokesman, told reporters that Egypt, while it has good relations with Lebanon, would not recognize anyone who tried to 'set up a state within a state.'

'This problem has nothing to do with the sectarian affiliation of Hezbollah,' Awad said, referring the group's Shiite Muslim orientation. 'Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization, and we strongly condemn it, although it is considered Sunni.'