Lebanese President Emphasizes Sovereignty in Negotiations with Israel
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, President Aoun stressed the necessity of replacing the language of war with the language of negotiation. He affirmed that Lebanon will not relinquish its sovereignty when reaching an agreement with Israel.
Aoun also described the meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee as positive. The Lebanese Minister of Information stated that negotiations with Tel Aviv focus on withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, border demarcation, and the return of prisoners.
Prior to the committee meeting in Ras al-Naqoura, the Lebanese presidency appointed Lebanese lawyer and former ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam, as the head of the Lebanese delegation. Lebanese sources reported that the meeting in Ras al-Naqoura lasted over three hours, with all participants in a single room.
The initial part of the session included three Lebanese army officers who had attended previous meetings, along with representatives of the Israeli army. In the second part, the officers left, and Simon Karam, Yuri Resnick, senior director of foreign policy at the Israeli National Security Council, U.S. General Joseph Kelafield, head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, his French deputy, and the UNIFIL commander remained.
While Israeli media attempted to portray the meeting as part of normalization steps between Lebanon and Tel Aviv, Lebanese sources reported that the Lebanese delegation adhered to the principle of not negotiating directly with the “enemy.”
