Khaberni - Direct talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv have begun in Washington, coinciding with heavy Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon and successive Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun commented on the meeting between the two sides: "Stability will not return to the south if Israel continues to occupy lands there."
Aoun believes that "the solution is the redeployment of the Lebanese army up to the internationally recognized borders and assigning it sole responsibility."
The Lebanese president added: "I hope that the meeting in Washington marks the beginning of an end to the suffering of the Lebanese in general and the southerners in particular."
Aoun's statements coincide with the start of the meeting at one table in the U.S. Department of State, between parties of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, in the first direct negotiation session between the two countries.
Lebanon is represented in this session by its ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamada Mouawad, while the Israeli side is represented by its ambassador, Yehiel Leiter, and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michael Issa, acts as the facilitating mediator, with symbolic participation by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signifying the event's importance for Washington which seeks an accomplishment after the failure of Islamabad’s negotiations with Iran.
On his part, the Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, Tarek Mitri, emphasized that for de-escalation with Israel, a minimum truce is necessary to allow negotiations which are typically conducted in calm conditions, not under military operations.
In contrast, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar considered that there are no significant differences between Israel and Lebanon and that the only problem is "Hezbollah," which needs to be addressed.
On the other hand, "Hezbollah," through its Secretary-General Naim Qassem yesterday Monday, emphatically rejected any negotiations with Israel, describing the direct negotiations as futile.
He also demanded a Lebanese consensus to change the course, affirming that no one can pull Lebanon into this path without internal agreement, which has not yet occurred.
