Lebanon’s decision to resume talks with Israel in Ras al-Naqoura signals its determination to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory, President Joseph Aoun said on December 8 during a meeting in Beirut with France’s Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“We are committed to pursuing a diplomatic path and have no desire to drift into the language of war,” Aoun said, according to the presidential press office. “The positive response from our brotherly and friendly nations shows they support this approach, and their backing may help ease the military pressure.”
Aoun confirmed that the second round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations is scheduled for December 19 in Ras al-Naqoura, home to the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“We welcome any constructive role France can play to help achieve the core objectives of these talks,” he noted. “Our hope is that hostilities will cease, Israeli forces will withdraw from the five occupied areas, and all detained Lebanese citizens will be released.”
The president rejected Israeli claims that the Lebanese Armed Forces are failing to carry out their responsibilities south of the Litani River. “These accusations are baseless and completely unacceptable. Since their deployment a year ago, our forces have fulfilled their mission in full,” he stressed.
Even so, Aoun indicated that Beirut does not oppose inspections, conducted by the US- and French-led Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, to verify whether Hezbollah weapons depots exist south of the Litani.
During the first round of talks on December 3, General Nicolas Thabet, commander of Lebanese forces in the south, reported that troops had inspected 177 tunnels and seized 566 rocket launchers in areas bordering Israel since the beginning of the year.
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Based on materials from TASS