Beirut - Saba:
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reaffirmed Lebanon's position on any future settlement, and its adherence to the ceasefire and the implementation of Resolution 1701 without a plus or minus letter.
In response to the ‘Israeli’ conditions, Berri said on Tuesday, as quoted by the Lebanese newspaper ‘Al-Akhbar’: ‘Our position is clear. Our position is clear. Does anyone in his right mind think that we will agree to a settlement or a solution that achieves the interest of ‘Israel’ at the expense of Lebanon's interest and sovereignty?’
President Berri hoped that the meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump would emanate a positive signal to reach the US special envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, adding, ‘I am ready to meet him in what we had previously agreed upon,’ explaining that he ‘was waiting for an answer regarding the formula agreed upon with the latter, but it did not arrive.’
‘The brutal escalation against Dahiya, the South and the Bekaa is a message from the enemy that it insists on negotiating under fire, and we emphasise that Lebanon will not negotiate under fire. There must be a comprehensive ceasefire, and then we will go to what we agreed upon regarding the mechanism for implementing Resolution 1701.’
In an interview with reporters at the White House yesterday, Hochstein said, ‘There is an opportunity to reach a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon soon, and I am hopeful that we will succeed.’
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