Aoun says 'no turning back' on negotiations with Israel
Lebanon has moved toward negotiations with Israel to spare the war and crisis-hit country further violence -- and not to please the international community, President Joseph Aoun told Friday a visiting United Nations Security Council delegation.
Aoun said that Lebanon is convinced that wars cannot lead to positive results and that only negotiations can provide stability and security and end the Lebanese people's suffering.
"We have made the decision and there is no turning back," Aoun said. "We are committed to this choice."
Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives had held Wednesday their first direct talks in decades. Aoun called the initial negotiations "positive" and stressed "the need for the language of negotiation -- not the language of war -- to prevail".
"These negotiations are mainly aimed at stopping the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon, returning the Lebanese prisoners, ending the Israeli occupation (of five hills in south Lebanon), and resolving the remaining disputed points along the Blue Line," Aoun said."We hope they will lead to positive results."
"However, the success of these negotiations depends on Israel," he added.
Source: Naharnet
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