Berri tells Aoun he can convince Hezbollah to cease fire if Israel does
Speaker Nabih Berri has told President Joseph Aoun in a phone call that Hezbollah would fully commit to a ceasefire if the Lebanese delegation managed to clench a ceasefire commitment from the Israeli side, MTV reported on Friday afternoon, shortly before the start of the second day of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington.
Al-Jadeed also reported Berri's message but added that he also wants a halt to Israel's demolition of homes in the south.
"Intensive contacts are underway to try to reach a unified position between Lebanon, the United States and Israel through a joint statement to be announced at the conclusion of negotiations this evening. Alternatively, the joint statement may be replaced by separate statements issued by each of the three parties," MTV said.
"The Lebanese delegation sensed during yesterday's round of negotiations U.S. understanding of Lebanon's demands and concerns," MTV added.
Al-Jadeed for its part said that "the ceasefire will be extended and not consolidated in the Lebanese-Israeli talks today," which means that Israeli violations might continue.
"The U.S. State Department will issue a statement at the end of the meeting, after the Lebanese and Israeli sides agreed not to issue a joint statement in order to 'avoid embarrassment,'" Al-Jadeed added.
"Direct military coordination between the Lebanese and Israeli armies is one of the key Israeli demands in the negotiations," it said.
Source: Naharnet
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