Berri reveals points of agreement and disagreement over Hochstein proposal
The Lebanese and the American mediators agree on many common points regarding the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said.
Berri told ad-Diyar, in remarks published Wednesday, that there are 13 or 14 articles suggested by the U.S. that Lebanon agrees on. Yet, there are points of disagreements.
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein who visited the country earlier this month in an attempt to tamp down tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border had verbally proposed a mechanism to implement U.N. Resolution 1701.
"Among the points of disagreement is the American demand to gradually implement Res. 1701 , while Lebanon insists on a comprehensive implementation," ad-Diyar said.
The proposal did not include Hezbollah's withdrawal to north of the Litani River, Berri said, although Israel has been pushing for this.
The border between Lebanon and Israel has seen escalating exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October.
Sources from Amal and Hezbollah told al Jadeed that the Israeli escalation will not force Lebanon to accept any modifications to Res. 1701 in favor of Israel.
Since the war in Gaza started, more than 220 Hezbollah fighters and nearly 40 Lebanese civilians have been killed while in Israel, nine soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed, as international mediators scrambled to prevent an all-out war in tiny Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet
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