Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has reaffirmed his strong opposition to direct negotiations between Beirut and the Tel Aviv regime, saying his core positions on dealing with the Israeli enemy remain unchanged.
On Monday, Berri emphasized the need to maintain Lebanon’s stability through regional and international assurances from Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Iran, while underscoring his strong connection with President Joseph Aoun.
The senior Lebanese legislator emphasized that he has not forsaken his principles, asserting that “the sole acceptable route, and what we sought yesterday, today, and will seek tomorrow, is the strengthening of the ceasefire and the total Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
Berri once again expressed his opposition to direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, stating that he “continues to uphold his stance against any direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy.”
The Lebanese parliament speaker also reiterated his prior stance on the US-mediated framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon on June 26, which he characterized as “ten times worse than the May 17 Agreement” of 1983 between representatives of Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Lebanese president Amine Gemayel.
Berri went on to express skepticism over the prospects of the political process led by President Aoun.
“What is happening in the context of the pilot zones confirms our fears,” he said.
Three villages, or “pilot zones,” were selected for the initial stage of the Israeli withdrawals – Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Froun, and Srifa. Nonetheless, worries regarding the absence of a defined exit timeline from Israel have continued.
The Lebanese military reported on Sunday that areas of western Zawtar, Tibnit, and Nabatieh al-Fawqa continued to experience Israeli gunfire despite civilians returning to their homes.
Israel was demolishing, bombarding, and carrying out search operations with machine guns in Nabatieh, Hdda, Kunin, Bint Jbeil, Nabi Ibel al-Saqi, Khiam, al-Mansouri, and Bayt al-Siyad, along with Majdal Zoun in Tyre, it stated.
Berri emphasized that any recent remarks seen as indicating a willingness to continue negotiations were solely connected to his longstanding priorities: achieving a ceasefire, guaranteeing a complete Israeli withdrawal, and aiding the return of displaced individuals to their villages.
The Lebanese parliament noted that any actions beyond those goals would not indicate a shift in his stance or an agreement to turn the current phase into a path to direct political talks with Israel.
