
Aoun, Berri reportedly put final touches on response to US paper
President Joseph Aoun met Friday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to put the final touches on Lebanon's response to a U.S. request to disarm Hezbollah, Saudi news interactive channel al-Hadath said.
Aoun who took office in the aftermath of more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah had vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire.
Israel has warned it will continue to strike until Hezbollah has been disarmed.
U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack asked Lebanese leaders to formally commit to disarming Hezbollah in a proposal that reportedly focused on halting hostilities for a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, with a deadline for a complete disarmament of Hezbollah before the end of November. After that, the reconstruction of war-hit regions can begin, al-Joumhouria newspaper said Friday.
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