Lebanon PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Other Path Except Ceasefire, Negotiations

 Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Lebanon PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Other Path Except Ceasefire, Negotiations

 Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut on September 30, 2024. (AFP)

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed on Monday that his country is committed to a reaching a ceasefire and launching indirect negotiations that would end the fierce Israeli war on Lebanon and its people.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after meeting with visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and later holding talks with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, he said: “Lebanon vows to send the army to the South after a ceasefire and the launch of negotiations.”

“We have no other substitute to this call that was issued by ten influential countries, led by the United States and France,” he added.

“It is now on the international community. The credibility of these countries, especially the US, is now on the line, because if they can’t stop this barbaric war, then I don’t believe anyone can,” Mikati said.

Moreover, he remarked that his comments after meeting Berri reflect the “unity of the Lebanese position,” saying he used the word “vow” to underscore the strength of this stance.

“This is the only path forward and there can be no substitute for it except the continuation of the war, whose end no one can predict,” he went on to say.



Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)

Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said on Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided Israel does not impose new conditions.

"The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a rare joint statement issued after talks in Cairo on Friday.

Last week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States were held in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement.

A Hamas leader told AFP on Saturday that talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days.

"Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

"Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalized before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's new conditions."