Lebanon and the militant Hezbollah movement have broadly agreed to a US proposal for a cease-fire agreement with Israel – albeit with some objections to its content.
This is what a senior Lebanese official told the Reuters news agency on Monday.
Ali Hassan Khalil, who is an advisor to the Lebanese parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, says that Lebanon has submitted a written response to the proposal to the US ambassador in the country on Monday.
The American diplomat Amos Hochstein, who is the US’s special envoy in the conflict, has set course for Beirut to continue discussions on the agreement, it is further said.
Israel has not immediately commented on the reports, and it is therefore not clear how the country relates to the proposal from the United States.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has backed Nahib Berri to mediate a ceasefire.
– Lebanon presented its comments on the agreement in a positive mood, says Ali Hassan Khalil to Reuters.
However, he refuses to elaborate on which comments are in question.
– All the comments that we have presented confirm compliance with (UN Security Council, ed.) resolution 1701 with all its provisions, says the adviser.
Resolution 1701 was used during the 2006 Lebanon War, in which Hezbollah and Israel were also in conflict with each other.
It calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and states that the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers must replace both the Israeli army, the IDF, and armed groups such as Hezbollah.
This includes that Hezbollah must not have an armed presence from the countries’ border to the Litani River, which is approximately 30 kilometers from Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
According to Khalil, the proposal now depends on Israel. If Israel is not ready to find a solution, the country “can create 100 problems”, he says.
/ritzau/
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
