Salam says only state can negotiate for Lebanon, Aoun seeks ceasefire inclusion
President Joseph Aoun welcomed on Wednesday the two-week ceasefire agreed by the United States and Iran, saying he hoped his country would be included in the regional truce.
Aoun said Beirut "continued efforts to ensure that the regional peace includes Lebanon in a stable and lasting manner", according to a statement from the presidency.
He called on Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory and for Hezbollah and other non-state groups to disarm.
"The complete sovereignty of the state over all its territory, its liberation from any occupying presence, and the exclusive right to declare war and peace and to use legitimate force, solely in the hands of its constitutional institutions."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier that the truce excluded his country's fight with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with Israeli strikes continuing to hit the country.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Wednesday that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire deal, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asserted that the Lebanese state, and it alone, holds the right to negotiate on behalf of Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press, Agence France Presse
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