Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri said there is no progress in talks with the US delegation headed by envoy Tom Barrack, noting that “things are not easy and tend to get complicated,” a Lebanese newspaper reported on Thursday.
Lebanese daily Al-Jomhouriya, Speaker Berri will outline his stance on the latest developments and their implications in a televised address next Sunday, on the anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Sayyed Mousa Al-Sadr and his two companions.
The paper reported, citing what it called “reliable sources,” that “the atmosphere of the meeting between Berri and the US delegation was not comfortable, in contrast to the very good atmosphere that prevailed in the previous meeting.”
What Barrack brought from ‘Israel’ was the opposite of what he had promised in a previous meeting with Speaker Berri on August 18, according to Al-Jomhouriya.
In his latest meeting with Speaker Berri Barrack suggested the so-called “step-by-step approach. However, he returned from ‘Israel’ this time with insistence on disarming Hezbollah before discussing any Israeli step, in terms of withdrawal, stopping attacks, and releasing prisoners, the newspaper added.
For his part, Speaker Berri gave a comprehensive presentation on the situation, citing the daily Israeli attacks and assassinations, preventing Lebanese residents from rebuilding their destroyed villages, as well as preventing the Lebanese Army from completing its deployment in the area south of the Litani, Al-Jomhouriya reported, citing the sources.
In this context, the Lebanese speaker underlined importance of commitment to the ceasefire agreement, obligating ‘Israel’ to halt its aggressive attacks, withdraw from the positions it occupies, and release prisoners, according to the daily.
Al-Jomhouriya meanwhile reported that Speaker Berri affirmed Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701 and its implementation in cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese Army, while insisting on the continued presence of UNIFIL forces, expressing surprise at proposals to end its mission.
Lebanon has been subjected to unprecedented pressure by the United States, the first sponsor of the Zionist entity, to tackle the issue of disarming Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Government approved earlier this month “objectives” of a US plan to disarm Hezbollah, yielding to US and Israeli pressures.
The cabinet session on August 7 followed another session on August 5, in which the Lebanese Government tasked the Lebanese Army with drafting a plan to confine all weapons to the State by the end of the year.
Source: Lebanese media (Translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
