The Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received US Envoy Thomas Barrack, Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus, and their accompanying delegation at his residence in Ain el-Tineh, Beirut. The meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, addressed political and field developments in Lebanon and the region.
Speaker Berri asked the US envoy about Israel’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement and its withdrawal from Lebanese territory to the internationally recognized borders, stressing that this is the key to stability in Lebanon and an opportunity to begin reconstruction efforts in preparation for the return of residents to their towns, in addition to providing support to the Lebanese Army.
For his part, US envoy Thomas Barrack said after the meeting, “We discussed and discussed what concerns everyone: how to achieve prosperity in Lebanon, in the south and north, throughout Lebanon, and for all Lebanese.”
He concluded, “My meeting today with Speaker Berri was with a shrewd personality with an amazing history, and we are moving in the right direction.”
Al-Manar correspondent Mona Tahini said, “It is clear that Barrack did not carry any Israeli promise to commit to the US paper.”
The reporter added that Barrack tried in this visit to Lebanon to instigate the Shia sect against Hezbollah by saying that the disarmament serves the interests of the Shia in Lebanon.
Barrack and Ortagus also met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Gran Serail of Beirut and the Army Commander Rodolph Haykal in Yarzeh, without delivering any statement.
Barrack started meetings with Lebanese officials after arriving in Beirut on Sunday evening. For the first stop of his visit, he was received by President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace, in the presence of Ortagus and a US delegation.
Talking from Baabda, Barrack said he “congratulated President Aoun on the significant steps taken,” referring to the Lebanese Government’s decision to disarm the Hezbollah resistance group.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
