Hezbollah hands Berri response to US paper, Lebanon to deliver it today
The Lebanese response to the U.S. ceasefire proposal has entered the final formulation phase and is supposed to be finalized today, Monday before being sent to U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein through the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, highly informed sources said.
Based on the response, Hochstein will decide to travel directly to the region, the sources told the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Monday.
“Speaker Nabih Berri yesterday received the response of Hezbollah’s leadership regarding the draft that was carried to the Speaker last week by U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson,” the daily said.
The sources said that Hezbollah is “dealing with great openness with the proposal and has left it to the Speaker and caretaker PM Najib Mikati to continue the discussions with the U.S. mediator over some points.”
“The positive mysteriousness has started to manifest itself as a positive course in Lebanon’s dealing with the U.S. proposal,” the sources added, noting that “the Lebanese remarks have become unified as to the points related to the proposed committee that would oversee Resolution 1701’s implementation and also to the article related to the idea of self-defense which carries contradictory interpretations.”
According to the sources, Hezbollah has rejected the presence of Germany and Britain in the supervisory committee and “it seems that it has been agreed not to represent Germany seeing as it is already part of the UNIFIL forces, while the U.S. is not opposed to excluding the UK, seeing as London itself has concerns over entering a region in which its forces might face major threats.”
Arab and European sources meanwhile told al-Akhbar that “Lebanon’s openness and positive interaction will help create a pressing atmosphere on Israel’s government to endorse the agreement and start implementing it and would close the door of maneuvering in the face of Netanyahu’s government.”
Prominent political sources said “Hezbollah’s response is in line with Resolution 1701” and that “Hochstein’s visit is not aimed at declaring a ceasefire but rather to discuss the Lebanese stance before carrying it to Tel Aviv.”
“The negotiations have moved to a very serious phase and Netanyahu is facing doubled pressure to accept the ceasefire, that’s why he has moved to the stage of expanding the targets in the time that remains for him,” the sources added.
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