Hizbullah cautiously welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's suggestion that it move into the political mainstream, with an executive of the Lebanese group saying Wednesday the US leader's reaction was positive.
Speaking to Al-Arabiya satellite television, a member of Hizbullah's political wing, Nawaf Moussawi, said that in line with a European change toward his Movement, Bush was "trying to propose an approach different from the traditional American approach toward Hizbullah."
On Tuesday, Bush told reporters that Hizbullah could shed its "terrorist" label and win U.S. recognition if it disarms and stays out of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Moussawi said: "We read the [Bush] stand in a good way, but also read it in the light of Israeli influence on U.S. policy."
