Lebanon-Israel negotiations begin today in Rome; Aoun hopes for the start of the Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the army

Beirut - Mansour Shaaban: President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, is reviewing the file of his visit to the United States, scheduled to take place in a week’s time, to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the sixth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, sponsored by the United States, which begins today, Tuesday, and will continue tomorrow and the day after in Rome. During this period, the U.S. military delegation has stepped back to work quietly, in accordance with its mission to supervise the Israeli withdrawal from the “two experimental areas” and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in one of them, as a first step within the “Framework Agreement” signed on June 26 of last year.

President Aoun expressed hope during his meetings at Baabda Palace that the negotiations in Rome would yield “tangible and practical steps on the ground, initiating the Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in areas that are vacated.” He emphasized: “Unity of ranks and position, because it is the strongest weapon. We must speak only in a Lebanese language, and only then will problems in Lebanon be resolved, and loyalty will be to the homeland, not to personal interest.”

Speaking before the board of directors of the “Workers’ Association,” President Aoun stated that “the army and the state are the only entities capable of protecting Lebanese citizens, not political parties, sectarianism, or confessionalism. We have experienced this since 1975 until today.” He pointed out that “southerners are tired and deserve to live in safety and stability, rather than watching their properties and lands destroyed repeatedly, and their sons martyred. Why must Lebanon and the South always pay the price?”

President Aoun was firm in his remarks: “I will not compromise on the South or on Lebanon’s rights. Therefore, there is emphasis on Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territories and its signing a commitment that it harbors no ambitions in Lebanon. I will ask U.S. President Donald Trump to exert the necessary pressure on Israel to implement what was agreed upon in the ‘Framework Agreement’ and to meet Lebanese demands, while taking advantage of the current U.S. administration’s desire to achieve peace in the region and to strengthen Lebanon’s position in this regard.”

Concurrently with President Aoun’s preparations for his trip to Washington, 86 members of parliament signed a letter addressed to the members of the Security Council, presented by MP Melhem Khalaf. The letter affirmed that “emptying southern Lebanon of the international umbrella represented by the presence of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) cannot be approached in isolation from the legal and historical foundations that originally dictated the creation of these forces, nor from the current international context that reaffirms the necessity of their presence.”

The letter noted that “renewing UNIFIL’s mandate and enhancing its capacity to carry out its missions today does not represent the creation of a new reality, but rather a return to the logic of international legitimacy enshrined by the UN Security Council since 1978.” It added: “It cannot be overlooked that withdrawing this force, in the absence of achieving the objectives for which it was established, may be interpreted as a retreat from the commitments undertaken by the Security Council, which would negatively reflect on the credibility of the entire international system.”

The letter considered that “maintaining the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon is not merely a political choice, but a legal necessity dictated by the continuity of the reasons that necessitated its establishment.”

Meanwhile, Army Commander, General Rodolphe Hagek, received Dutch Ambassador Frank Molen, Belgian Ambassador Arnaud Pauly, Canadian Ambassador George Galigan, and Australian Ambassador Tom Wilson at his office in Yarzoura. The ambassadors affirmed their countries’ support for the military institution during the delicate circumstances facing Lebanon and the region. The discussions also covered the importance of the army’s role within the Framework Agreement, future steps related to it, as well as support for the military institution’s efforts to maintain security and stability.