The Rome 6 tour ends with an agreement to start implementing the pilot zones within days

The Rome 6 negotiations between Lebanon and Israel have ended amid signs of progress in discussing the mechanisms for implementing the "Framework Agreement" signed in Washington on June 26  , especially with regard to the start of the implementation of the first phase and the Israeli withdrawal from the "test zones" and the timetable.

  In a statement on Wednesday,  July 15, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut described the talks between Lebanon and Israel in Rome as "fruitful and positive," announcing that "the participants agreed on the structure and guidelines for the work of the pilot zone, provided that the final measures will be completed and implemented in the coming days."

"The next phase will witness the launch of extensive technical talks focused on the implementation of all the provisions of the trilateral framework, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Lebanon and Israel," she added.

Friday Military Meeting

Sources familiar with the negotiations, which were limited in their sixth round to the political delegation, said that the talks focused on completing the understandings on the launch of the first phase of the agreement, with a focus on determining the date of the start of implementation, amid a trend to launch it within days if the final arrangements are completed.

During the negotiations, the Lebanese delegation stressed the need to set a timetable for the stages of Israeli withdrawal from the rest of the areas, after the implementation of the first phase in the pilot areas, which is supposed to constitute a practical test of the agreement, which has not yet been decided.

While the negotiators discussed the identification of 5 "mixed" experimental areas between occupied and bombed areas in southern Lebanon, in preparation for the deployment of the Lebanese army in them, provided that the operation will gradually expand according to the timetable being negotiated, the sources reported that "a military meeting will be held on Friday to discuss the technical details."

The areas are East Zuter (occupied) and West Zuter, on the outskirts of which the Israeli army is located, Burj Qalawiya, Sarifa and Froun, which are villages where Hezbollah is present, as well as all southern villages and are subjected to continuous Israeli shelling.

Lebanon rejects Tel Aviv's participation in verification team

The sources pointed out that the mechanism for verifying the implementation of the agreement was an extensive discussion point, as the Lebanese delegation stressed the need for this task to be limited to a third party, as stipulated in the "Framework Agreement", and not the Israeli side, which was demanding participation in the team.

In this context, the option was raised for the American side to take over this task, while others saw UNIFIL as carrying out the task of verifying the Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army, as it is still present in southern Lebanon, which has not yet been decided.

On the second day of negotiations in Rome, negotiators discussed the formation of the committees that are supposed to implement the Framework Agreement, including a full Israeli withdrawal and post-withdrawal arrangements. They have set up a mechanism for how these committees will be formed, to be formed at a later stage, according to the sources.

Aoun: The best formula possible

Meanwhile, President Aoun, who is visiting the United States next week, stressed that "the framework formula is the best possible," and that it has begun to achieve results at the level of American engagement with Lebanon, noting that "Washington is listening to us, and the Lebanon file is on the table of the American president."

He stressed that "our goals are clear, and we will not be lenient with regard to Lebanon's rights," calling for dialogue among the Lebanese to be under the roof of the national interest, stressing that the road is still full of difficulties, but there is great hope for achieving results that end the bloodbath and protect Lebanon from Israeli ambitions.

Hezbollah: The agreement does not achieve withdrawal

On the other hand, Hezbollah continued its attack on the "framework agreement", as a member of its parliamentary bloc, Hassan Fadlallah, said that the Lebanese authority had presented "the worst agreement in the history of countries" with an occupied country, adding that it does not include any Israeli commitment to withdraw, and does not preserve Lebanon's rights and sovereignty, but rather serves Israeli interests, and aims to weaken and disarm the resistance.

He said that the agreement is not workable, and that attempts to market it will not change its content, reaffirming linking the Lebanese file to the Iranian negotiations, and said: "Iran is working to impose an equation in the region, and this equation will be in the interest of the region and the interest of our country, and we have full confidence in the leadership of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people to reach the desired solution together, which lies in the withdrawal of the enemy from our land, the cessation of all forms of aggression, the return of our people, the release of prisoners, and the reconstruction, these are our bases on which we are working, and which we will reach to him."