DUBAI(RAHNUMA): Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday reiterated his position related to ongoing negotiations and efforts to end state hostility between Lebanon and Israel.
In a meeting with a delegation from the Culture and Freedom Foundation chaired by former justice minister Ibrahim Najjar, Aoun said any agreement to end the war must cover an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, a cessation of attacks, the deployment of the Lebanese army, the return of displaced and the prisoners.
Aoun also dispelled pressure to withdraw from the US-mediated negotiations: “We will not withdraw and we will continue until we reach a conclusion that benefits our nation.”
“The state remains our choice, as it protects us all, and we must be convinced that we are a sovereign state,” he said.
Aoun earlier made a rare direct appeal for the Israeli government to come to the negotiating table to end the war, warning that a military solution “will never provide you with security and safety.”
“We need to end the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel. Forever. And this (pact) could be a path forward for a just and lasting peace,” Aoun said in the CNN interview.
Aoun said Lebanon would move in line with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers normalization with Israel across the Arab world in exchange for Palestinian statehood and Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories.
“But we cannot jump from A to B directly. We have to go through different steps,” Aoun said.
Lebanon and Israel last week agreed to a new US-backed ceasefire in Lebanon, but violence continued as Hezbollah appeared to have rejected the declaration.
The war erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of its ally Tehran. Israel responded with an air campaign and ground operations that have left swathes of southern Lebanon occupied.
More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon and more than one million Lebanese are displaced.
