Photo- U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai in Bkirki
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa affirmed that “the United States is concerned over the situation in Lebanon and for it to be independent and free from war.”
“I personally doing everything I can to achieve this goal. I share almost the same concern as Patriarch al-Rai: we both want to stop the war in Lebanon, and we ask all parties here to make the decision that will contribute to ending the war,” Issa said.
He added: “We appreciate President Joseph Aoun’s decision to agree to meet with the Israeli leaders to resolve the crisis.”
“I believe the Israelis have decided they will not stop their attacks on Lebanon, so Lebanon must decide whether it can meet with the Israeli side while the attacks continue,” Issa said
He added In my opinion: “Peace between Lebanon and Israel cannot be achieved without meetings.”
“So I encourage the Lebanese side to consider the necessity of meeting with the Israeli side to reach a solution,” he said.
Issa also emphasized that “the Lebanese Army must do what is required of it, and this is what we expect,” noting that “we have asked the Lebanese Army to remain in the southern Christian villages to protect them, and so far, things are going well.”
Israel’s Ron Dermer to lead talks with the Lebanon
Israeli Channel 12 reported last week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped former minister and longtime aide Ron Dermer to handle the Lebanon file for the duration of the ongoing Mideast war.
Dermer will reportedly be leading the talks with the US government regarding Lebanon, along with negotiations with the Lebanese government itself, if they are launched in the coming weeks, as proposed by Lebanese president Joseph Aoun
