Berri blows a surprise: Proposed pilot areas are "not already occupied"

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri revealed that most of the "experimental" areas proposed in the framework agreement signed between the Lebanese government and Israel "are not occupied in the first place."

In statements reported by Lebanese newspapers on Tuesday (July 14th), Berri pointed out that he  proposed an alternative based on the adoption of districts instead of experimental zones, warning that the introduction of these "experimental zones" in the south "may turn into a trap that leads to internal tensions that only serve the Israeli occupation."

Berri said that the direct negotiations that led to the "framework formula" have not yet led to any real positives in the interest of Lebanon and its rights, stressing that his position does not start from rejecting any path that can achieve results, saying: "I am not upset if any path achieves a positive result that falls into the category of stopping the aggression and ending the occupation," but continued: "Let them look me in the eye and silence me with an actual achievement, not an imaginary one... I haven't healed anything yet."

Berri: I welcome any negotiations that lead to Israel's withdrawal

 The Speaker of the House of Representatives stressed  that he will be the first to welcome any practical results that lead to the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation, the return of the IDPs, the release of prisoners and the reconstruction, saying, "What matters to me in the end is to eat grapes and not to kill the Natour."

Regarding the proposal to establish "test zones" within the negotiation process, Berri reiterated his rejection of this option, considering that its implementation means that it will take about two years to complete the withdrawal, in addition to the existence of objections to the origin of the idea.

Berri said that the fear lies in the aim of this proposal "to implicate the army in internal confrontations and to create strife that only serves the Israeli enemy, which seeks to lure us into its trap", stressing that Lebanon "is confronting this with all its strength and wisdom".

Wild: The Negotiation Path is Zigzag

Berri considered that the negotiations in Rome between the Lebanese delegations and the Israeli occupation may not be more than an extension of the previous path, which he described as meandering.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives commented on the escalation and developments in the Gulf region, saying that the atmosphere in the region is "negative and gloomy" as a result of the escalation, expressing his hope that it will be contained before reaching a more dangerous stage.

He added that a return to negotiation and the implementation of the memorandum of understanding will ultimately remain inevitable, noting that Lebanon, by virtue of its political and geographical composition, remains directly affected by regional and international developments.