Hochstein sees 'real opportunity' to end war but says it's up to parties
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein said he was in Beirut on Tuesday because he saw "a real opportunity" to end the Israel-Hezbollah war raging for two months after nearly a year of clashes.
"I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end," Hochstein told reporters after meeting Hezbollah-allied parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation on behalf of the group.
"I'm here in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but it's ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion. It is now within our grasp," he added.
"The window is now. I hope the coming days yield a resolute decision,” he went on to say.
Noting that his meeting meeting with Berri was “very constructive and very helpful,” Hochstein said: “We have continued to narrow the gaps through the discussions over the last few weeks and specifically today we continued to significantly narrow the gaps.”
Hochstein also that said he would not take any questions from reporters because he does not want to negotiate through the media.
Unnamed sources later told Al-Arabiya television that a speech by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem was postponed "because the Berri-Hochstein meeting was not up to expectations."
The Berri-Hochstein meeting "did not resolve the pending points, most importantly the clause on the right to self-defense," the sources added.
LBCI television meanwhile said that the atmosphere was positive in Ain el-Tineh after the meeting with Hochstein and that the talks were useful and positive.
The U.S. envoy later met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The United States and France have spearheaded efforts for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
A Lebanese official had told AFP on Monday that the government had a positive view of a U.S. truce proposal, while a second official said Lebanon was waiting for Hochstein's arrival to "review certain outstanding points with him."
On Monday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Washington had been sharing proposals with Lebanon and Israel, which had both reacted to the plan.
Miller said the U.S. was pushing for "full implementation" of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and requires all armed forces except the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers to withdraw from the Lebanese side of the border with Israel.
It also requires Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet
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