In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Berri expressed his satisfaction with the atmosphere that prevailed in the call he received from French President Emmanuel Macron, and said that he had an understanding with him due to Paris’ continued interest, which was evident in its hosting of the Friends of Lebanon Conference, which will be held on the 24th of this month, and its provision of all forms of… Support for the government to alleviate the burdens resulting from Israel’s displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents from the south, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the Bekaa towns.
Berri revealed that a positive atmosphere of consensus on a ceasefire prevailed in the call he received from Macron, but it was not present in the lengthy call that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had with him.
He said that he repeated the Lebanese position several times to stop the war, but “I did not find in Blinken a similar desire that would make us optimistic about reaching a ceasefire.”
The Council of Ministers in Lebanon confirmed, in its last session, its adherence to the trilogy of a ceasefire in the south, the deployment of the army with the support of the international forces “UNIFIL”, and the implementation of Resolution 1701, which constitutes support for the French position in the UN Security Council, which meets weekly at the request of Paris. Which insists that this position be implemented.
In this regard, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported that “the Lebanese government did not link its approval of the ceasefire in the south to its halt in Gaza, noting that the head of the Shura Council in Iran, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, avoided a brief visit to Beirut, in which he met with Berri and Mikati. He touched on the connection between them, confining himself to confirming Tehran’s support for the decisions taken by the government, as if with his position he wanted to turn the page on the controversy caused by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi against the backdrop of the connection between the south and Gaza,” according to the newspaper.
Source: Middle East
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