Egyptian initiative leaked as Lebanon agrees to civilians in negotiations
Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad has carried to Beirut an initiative calling for a three-month ceasefire during which Israel would completely halt attacks and hand over the Lebanese captives in return for “fully ending Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River,” al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Saturday.
Under the same initiative, Cairo would directly communicate with Hezbollah’s leadership to find “an internationally-sponsored political-security solution for the issue of its arms north of the Litani,” the daily added.
Israel would also begin withdrawing from the occupied Lebanese points in parallel with the start of the solution related to Hezbollah’s arms north of the Litani River, the newspaper said.
The initiative also entails a comprehensive demarcation of Lebanon’s border with Israel, including an Egyptian initiative for resolving the Shebaa Farms issue between Lebanon and Syria, al-Liwaa reported.
President Joseph Aoun’s adviser Andre Lahoud is meanwhile expected to hold a meeting with the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad, media reports said.
Al-Arabiya television had overnight reported that Lebanon has agreed to U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’ proposal for adding civilian figures to the ceasefire committee in order to hold indirect negotiations with Israel.
Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam have agreed to representing Lebanon with civilian figures, but they have not agreed to raising the level of representation to the rank of minister or ambassador, sources told Al-Arabiya.
The sources added that Hezbollah has also agreed to the presence of Lebanese civilian figures in the proposed negotiations.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/316227 |