AFP - Britain said Wednesday it was prepared to engage in direct contacts with the political wing of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, after it became part of a national unity government there last year.
   
London has had no official talks with Hezbollah since 2005, and last July added its military wing to a blacklist of designated terrorist groups.
   
"We have reconsidered the position," Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell told a parliamentary committee hearing.
   
The main reason was "in the light of more positive developments within Lebanon, the formation of the national unity government in which Hezbollah are participating, and for that reason we have explored establishing contacts."
   
Rammell said there had already been a "first meeting", between a delegation of lawmakers from the main opposition Conservative party visiting Lebanon and a Lebanese parliamentary delegation which included a member of Hezbollah.
   
"We will look to have further discussions and our overriding objective in that is to press Hezbollah to play a more constructive role and move away from violence," he said.
   
However, Rammell stressed there would be no such change towards Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian movement, saying: "I don't think there's an analogy."
   
Direct dialogue would only be established with Hamas once it signed up to internationally recognised commitments, he said, which included recognising the right of Israel to exist and rejecting violence.
   
Lebanon's political rivals, including members of Hezbollah, formed a national unity government last July, following an accord which saved the country from the brink of renewed civil war.