Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Guarantor of Israeli Stance, Negotiations Are Good

19 November 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: US special envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut. (Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa)
19 November 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: US special envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut. (Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Guarantor of Israeli Stance, Negotiations Are Good

19 November 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: US special envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut. (Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa)
19 November 2024, Lebanon, Beirut: US special envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut. (Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa)

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that the situation was "good in principle" following two hours of talks with US envoy Amos Hochstein to discuss the US proposal for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Some details of the proposal still needed to be hashed out, including technical details, he added.

He said Hochstein would settle those details before travelling on to Israel, and that Lebanon saw the United States as the guarantor of the Israeli stance.

On whether the draft under discussion was also addressed with the Israelis, he said Hochstein "is coordinating with them over it."

"This wouldn’t be the first time the Israelis renege on their pledges," he added.

Hochstein had arrived in Beirut on Tuesday and kicked off his talks with Berri, who has been tasked by Hezbollah in negotiating on its behalf.

Hochstein said he held "very constructive talks" with Berri and that there was a "real opportunity" to bring the conflict between the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and Israel to an end.

"This is a moment of decision-making. I am here in Beirut to facilitate that decision but it's ultimately up to the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp," he told reporters after the meeting.



France: Window of Opportunity Open for Lebanon Ceasefire

A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of  al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
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France: Window of Opportunity Open for Lebanon Ceasefire

A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of  al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)

France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that US-led efforts for a truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had created the chance for a lasting ceasefire.

"There is a window of opportunity that's opening for a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon that would allow the return of those displaced, ensure the sovereignty of Lebanon and the security of Israel," Jean-Noel Barrot told Europe 1 radio.

"I call on all sides with whom we are in close contact to seize this window."

Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said the group had responded positively to a ceasefire proposal, which would entail both its fighters and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

Hochstein said he held “very constructive talks” with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah who is mediating on the group’s behalf.

Berri said the "situation is good in principle,” although some technical details remain unresolved. The Lebanese side was waiting to hear the results of Hochstein's talks with Israeli officials, he told Asharq al-Awsat.