How will Lebanon respond to US paper?
President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam have made 'significant progress' in their deliberations ahead of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's second visit to Beirut, which is expected before July 10, Lebanese sources said.
Representatives of Aoun, Berri and Salam held a lengthy meeting Monday in Baabda and 'unanimously agreed' on a draft paper in response to Barrack's demands, the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, noting that the draft won the approval of Aoun, Berri and Salam and was also discussed between the Speaker and Hezbollah's leadership.
The sources added that Lebanon will ask the U.S. to seriously press Israel in order to reach a real ceasefire, allow Lebanon to pacify the situation and 'dispel Hezbollah's concerns,' ahead of engaging in Barrack-sponsored negotiations that would 'certainly lead to unanimity over arms monopolization, seeing as it is unacceptable for the talks to be conducted under Israel's military pressure.'
'Hezbollah is still opening a window for obtaining guarantees, which is being comprehended by the three presidents, seeing us it needs to justify to its supporters the shift toward the monopolization of arms,' the sources added.
Hezbollah 'needs to reassure its environment that giving up its weapons will be the reason behind Israel's withdrawal and the release of its captives,' the sources went on to say.
Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile reported that Aoun, Berri and Salam have agreed that 'there is no need to hold a special Cabinet session to discuss the U.S. paper, seeing as PM Najib Mikati's government had agreed to the ceasefire agreement and its stipulations, and because Lebanon should not present additional commitments before knowing the next steps that will be taken by Israel.'
'The unified Lebanese stance is that Lebanon will inform the U.S. administration that Israel has to withdraw, release the captives and halt its daily attacks in return for a Lebanese commitment to tangible measures to control illegal weapons in the areas south and north of the Litani River,' al-Akhbar added.
But other sources told the daily that the U.S. and Israel 'will come up with a lot of excuses to reject the settlement sought by Lebanon.'
Local and foreign parties are meanwhile trying to 'intimidate' Lebanon by saying that 'Israel is preparing to escalate its attacks with harsh airstrikes that could resemble the ferocity of the strikes that assassinated Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in addition to possible additional land operations,' al-Akhbar said.
Sources close to a top Lebanese leader have, however, expressed optimism that a solution for the issue of Hezbollah's arms has been put on track, seeing as Iran might have told Hezbollah and Berri to 'commit to the requirements of Resolution 1701 with its accurate stipulations,' the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported.
Hezbollah is meanwhile 'inquiring about reconstruction' and Israel's 'withdrawal' ahead of agreeing to a timetable for weapons handover, informed sources told the daily, with presidential sources seeing 'unprecedented progress in Hezbollah's stance that made it agree that its arms be discussed in Cabinet soon despite all its declared stances that are rejecting that.'
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