George W. Bush has called for disarmament. In Washington, US President George W. Bush has called for disarmament by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and opened up the possibility of accepting it as a part of the political mainstream.

In a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Bush criticized the Shiite Muslim group for derailing the middle-east peace process by launching attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon.

"We view Hizbollah as a terrorist organization and I would hope that Hizbollah would prove that they're not by laying down arms and not threatening peace."

Hezbollah is considered a legitimate resistance movement in Lebanon. It led the guerrilla war against Israel's 18-year presence in part of its territory, and showed its political influence in recent weeks, by drawing hundreds of thousands of people to central Beirut for two pro-Syria rallies.