Lebanon says 'no deal' without full Israeli withdrawal

Lebanon cannot sign any agreement that does not include a “full withdrawal” of Israeli forces, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said ahead of talks scheduled for Thursday in Washington.

“We cannot live with a so-called buffer zone, an Israeli presence where Lebanese displaced people are not allowed to return, where destroyed villages and towns cannot be rebuilt,” he said in an interview with the Washington Post in Paris, where he also met French President Emmanuel Macron, News.Az reports.

Salam added that Lebanon views the United States as a key actor capable of influencing Israel’s position.

“We are entering these negotiations convinced that the US is the party that can have leverage over Israel. Their role was critical in reaching the ceasefire, and we hope they will continue exercising their leverage over Israel,” he said.

On the issue of disarming Hezbollah, a central demand from Israel and Western countries, Salam described it as a gradual process rather than an immediate step. He also stressed that Lebanon is not making concessions simply by participating in negotiations.

“I don’t know what we can achieve through negotiation, but I know what we want,” he said.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev