The Lebanese Interior Minister, Nohad Mashnouq, on Wednesday objected to designating Hezbollah a "terrorist" group while drafting the recommendations of the 33rd Arab Interior Ministers Conference in Tunisia

The Lebanese Interior Minister, Nohad Mashnouq, on Wednesday objected to designating Hezbollah a "terrorist" group while drafting the recommendations of the 33rd Arab Interior Ministers Conference in Tunisia, explaining that his opposition is out of "keenness on what is left of Lebanon's constitutional institutions."

His objection came after calm talks with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Rashed Bin Abdullah al-Khalifa.

"The Arab nation is facing challenges targeting the security of its citizens and the stability of its countries, in addition to the greed of foreign sides," Mashnouq said, adding that the Saudi "confrontation" decision is the beginning of balance restitution.

"We have no choice but our Arab identity," he maintained, indicating that balance cannot be without an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"Nobody can envy a Lebanese minister standing before Arabs; he is blamed for his Arabism, for which he had paid 200 thousands lives and 15 years of warfare," he added.

"I admit before you that my government was not as lucky during the last Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting and at the Islamic Conference Organization," he said, stressing that Lebanon has never failed its obligation, "albeit the hegemony of weapons is exhausting it."

"The choice of confrontation does not eliminate the Arabs' responsibility towards Lebanon," he underlined.

It is worth noting that Algeria has abstained from voting for the closing statement and Iraq voiced reservations over the same concern.

Mashnouq has met on the sidelines of the conference with his Omani and Kuwaiti counterparts, with whom he discussed the means to bolster bilateral cooperation.