Walid Jumblat

What will bring an end to Lebanon's problems?

In a HARDtalk interview broadcast on 1 March, Tim Sebastian talks to Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblat about Syria's presence in Lebanon and the future of the Middle East 'road map'.

Walid Jumblat is leader of the Druze community in Lebanon and head of the Progressive Socialist Party. He controls the second largest voting bloc in the Lebanese parliament.

Jumblat exclusively revealed to Hardtalk that he wants to hold a referendum on Syria's presence in Lebanon. Syria has kept troops on Lebanese soil since 1976, when it intervened in its neighbour's civil war. Around 20,000 troops remain.

Jumblat said that Syria's presence is agreed by parliament but proposed a new way to solve the issue:

"Let's make a referendum, let's fix it like that ... I'll call it ... I'm ready for any kind of challenge."

Stalled "road map"

Jumblat refused to condemn the use of suicide bombings, saying that it is a legitimate weapon of the oppressed:

"I do care about innocents, but fix yourself as a Palestinian, being surrounded, looking at your land being grabbed, looking at your houses being destroyed ... it is horrible but there is no clean war."

Jumblat is no stranger to violence in the Middle East, having played a central role in Lebanon's civil war in the 1970s and 80s. He was twice the victim of assassination attempts.

Asked if he would blow himself up to further a political cause he said:

"If this will achieve anything to justify the liberation of my land, yes."

Rebuilding Iraq

Jumblat said that he supported the "national resistance" of Iraqis against American-led forces. But he did not support Al-Qaeda, saying "I would fight against that kind of Islam."

The main allies of Jumblat in Lebanon are Shia muslims, traditionally hostile to Al-Qaeda.

Jumblat told Tim Sebastian that he did not think there were WMD in Iraq when US-led forces invaded. However, he defended the right of Arab countries to develop such weapons:

"We are entitled one day to have the atom bomb to counterbalance the Israelis."

HARDtalk can be seen on BBC World at 04:30 GMT, 11:30 GMT, 15:30 GMT, 19:30 GMT and 00:30 GMT

It can also be seen on BBC News 24 at 04:30 and 23:30