Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to the ceasefire agreement announced in November of last year, emphasizing adherence to the mechanism adopted by the mechanism committee. He noted that civilian experts can be brought in when necessary.
“What I can say is this: there is no war,” Berri stated. He then asked, “But has Israel stopped its war on Lebanon?” He added that the tense atmosphere internally is linked to recent remarks made by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.
When Berri was told that some had interpreted his reference to involving experts as a step toward allowing civilians to take part in any form of negotiations with Israel, he dismissed that interpretation. “ There is no need for speculation or distortion. This is standard practice in many cases. As for the talk about negotiations, there are no direct negotiations. I personally conducted negotiations with Amos Hochstein and others for seven and a half years on the maritime gas issue, and eventually we reached the framework agreement we have with Israel. As I have said before, there is an adopted mechanism, and we are committed to it.”
In response to another question, Berri expressed satisfaction with the reconstruction conference held in Msayleh, stressing that this requires follow-up by the relevant state authorities, and that the process must be given the highest priority. He called for securing the necessary resources to urgently begin rebuilding the areas affected by the Israeli aggression.
“What I can say is this: there is no war,” Berri stated. He then asked, “But has Israel stopped its war on Lebanon?” He added that the tense atmosphere internally is linked to recent remarks made by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.
When Berri was told that some had interpreted his reference to involving experts as a step toward allowing civilians to take part in any form of negotiations with Israel, he dismissed that interpretation. “ There is no need for speculation or distortion. This is standard practice in many cases. As for the talk about negotiations, there are no direct negotiations. I personally conducted negotiations with Amos Hochstein and others for seven and a half years on the maritime gas issue, and eventually we reached the framework agreement we have with Israel. As I have said before, there is an adopted mechanism, and we are committed to it.”
In response to another question, Berri expressed satisfaction with the reconstruction conference held in Msayleh, stressing that this requires follow-up by the relevant state authorities, and that the process must be given the highest priority. He called for securing the necessary resources to urgently begin rebuilding the areas affected by the Israeli aggression.
