Report: UK seeks to appoint expert for resolving 'Hezbollah crisis'
Britain is seeking to strengthen its presence in Lebanon through the gateway of the conflict with Israel, a media report said on Wednesday.
“London is trying to fill the void resulting from Lebanon’s non-welcoming of any special French role and the breakdown of U.S. efforts,” unnamed sources told al-Akhbar newspaper, adding that Britain wants to “address a crisis called Hezbollah.”
“London’s proposal calls for tasking a British expert with holding dialogue with Hezbollah with the aim of convincing it to give up arms and fully integrate into the state and its institutions,” al-Akhbar quoted a prominent official as saying.
“According to information, the candidate for this role is Jonathan Powell, who has served in several official posts before heading a mediation firm that offered its first services in Libya, and had previously played intelligence-linked roles. The British candidate also has an experience in dealing with forces that are usually labeled as ‘rebel’ or ‘terrorist,’” al-Akhbar added.
“Powell sent messages through his country’s embassy in Beirut to figures who communicate with Hezbollah, in an attempt to explore its stance on this proposal,” the newspaper said.
“Powell has been presented to Lebanese officials as someone who has major experience in negotiation, which led in the past to the Irish Republican Army’s surrender of its weapons and its engagement in public life. He played a key role in securing the guarantees that the group needed in order to finalize this process. He enjoys the confidence of the (British) state’s top officials and has a very high level of coordination with British and foreign intelligence services,” al-Akhbar added.
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