Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has maintained a flexible political approach while insisting that his core positions on dealing with the Israeli enemy remain unchanged, according to remarks published by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on Monday.
Speaker Berri stressed the importance of preserving Lebanon’s stability through regional and international guarantees involving Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Iran, while highlighting his close relationship with President Joseph Aoun, the newspaper reported.
However, Al-Akhbar quoted Berri as saying that he has not abandoned his principles, stressing that “the only acceptable path, and what we wanted yesterday, today, and tomorrow, is the consolidation of the ceasefire and the complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
The Lebanese speaker also reiterated his rejection of direct negotiations between Lebanon and ‘Israel’, telling the newspaper that he “remains committed to rejecting any direct negotiations between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy.”
He further recalled his previous position on the proposed framework agreement, which he described as “ten times worse than the May 17 Agreement.”
Addressing the political process led by President Aoun, Berri expressed skepticism over its prospects.
“What is happening in the context of the pilot zones confirms our fears,” he said, referring to the so-called pilot zones, territories in southern Lebanon which the Israeli occupation forces have been allegedly withdrawing from in the recent days, although most of them weren’t occupied in the last months during the latest Israeli aggression on Lebanon.
According to Al-Akhbar, Speaker Berri stressed that any recent statements interpreted as showing openness toward ongoing negotiations were linked only to his longstanding priorities: securing a ceasefire, ensuring a full Israeli withdrawal, and facilitating the return of displaced residents to their villages.
The newspaper said the Lebanese speaker affirmed, meanwhile, that any steps beyond those objectives would not represent a change in his position or an acceptance of turning the current phase into a pathway toward direct political negotiations with ‘Israel’.
Source: Al-Akhbar newspaper (translated and edited y Al-Manar)