Aoun says Hezbollah not operating south of Litani
President Joseph Aoun revealed Wednesday that he has told Hezbollah that “the rhetoric of war does not solve the problem,” adding that Hezbollah is not operating in the South Litani area.
Explaining why he has called for negotiations with Israel, Aoun said: “If we lack the ability to go to war, war has led us into tragedies, and there is a wave of settlements in the region, what can we do?”
“We have mentioned the principle of negotiation and we are yet to discuss the details, but we have not received an (Israeli) answer to our proposal. When we get an approval, we would talk about our conditions. The essential point that I’m raising remains: are we capable of entering a war and can the rhetoric of war solve the problem? Let someone answer these two questions,” the president added, in a meeting with a delegation from the Press Editors Syndicate.
Asked whether he has asked Hezbollah these two questions, Aoun said he has openly said that to Hezbollah, adding: “The approach of force is no longer of use and we must go to the force of logic. After 15 years of war in Vietnam, the United States was obliged to go to negotiations, and Hamas has also been obliged to go to negotiations.”
Noting that “Hezbollah is not operating in the South Litani area,” the president stressed that “the army is performing its duties to the fullest” and that the army and the security forces are doing a “mighty work” across the country that is being lauded by the international community.
As for the issue of negotiations with Israel and the stance of Lebanon and the U.S., Aoun said that Lebanon has not yet received any U.S. feedback in this regard, adding that he is waiting for the arrival of the new U.S. ambassador to Lebanon who might be carrying “an Israeli answer.”
Source: Naharnet
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