US envoy Tom Barrack tried on Tuesday to playdown the remarks he made a day earlier about Lebanon, assuring that Washington will not abandon the country.
After meetings with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday, Barrack had said that the US cannot “compel” Israel to do anything, holding the Lebanese state responsible for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The envoy met with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday, briefly describing the talks as “excellent” and that efforts were underway to restore stability. He added that the people must hold on to hope.
Before the meeting, Barrack said he was “optimistic” about his visit to Lebanon, stressing that the US will not abandon the country.
Asked by reporters about why the US refuses to give Lebanon the guarantees it is demanding, he replied that the problem isn’t about guarantees.
A statement from Berri’s office said the meeting, which lasted over an hour, tackled the developments in Lebanon and the region.
On Monday, the Lebanese presidency said it had handed the envoy a “comprehensive draft” covering how to implement Lebanon’s pledges since the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in November.
The draft included the “pressing need to save Lebanon by allowing the state alone to impose its authority throughout its territories.” It also called for limiting the possession of weapons to the state.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea slammed the state’s response to American demands.
He said the Lebanese response was handed to the envoy without even referring to the government, slamming the move as a violation of the constitution.
The government as the executive authority in the country should have been referred to ahead of turning over the response, he stressed. The parliament, as the legislative authority, was also overlooked
“After everything that has happened and everything that we continue to endure, the Lebanese state’s response to the American proposals – with the exception of some superficial statements – fall in Hezbollah’s favor,” he lamented.
“The illegal weapons in Lebanon are not an American problem. The weapons after the 2024 war are no longer an Israeli problem, but primarily a Lebanese one,” he continued.
“The existence of illegal military and security groups in Lebanon, starting with Hezbollah, has undermined and continues to undermine the state,” Geagea added.
These groups have “usurped and continue to usurp the state’s strategic decision-making power. The dismantling of these groups has become the demand of the majority of the Lebanese people. All of Lebanon’s friends in the east and west, especially in the Arab Gulf, echo this demand.”
“Unfortunately, the Lebanese state’s response has taken us back several years and exposes Lebanon to major dangers and more tragedies. Those behind the response are fully responsible for what may happen,” Geagea said.
The Kataeb party called on “all Lebanese forces to fortify constitutional institutions,” warning of the danger of failing to tackle the issue of illegal weapons and against the state failing to impose its authority throughout the country.
The persistence of the current situation will harm national unity or fuel extremism, it warned after its politburo meeting.
It called on Hezbollah to “seize the opportunity to disarm immediately and unconditionally, return to the state and become seriously involved in shaping state institutions in line with the constitution.”
