Aoun says 'diplomacy is only solution' for the South
President Joseph Aoun stressed Friday that “diplomacy is the only solution” for ending Israel’s occupation of parts of south Lebanon.
“We can no longer bear the rhetoric of war,” Aoun reiterated.
Aoun has repeatedly pledged to implement a state monopoly on arms. But it is a "delicate" matter that must be approached through dialogue and carried out when "the circumstances" allow, he said on Sunday.
The United States has been pressing Lebanon's government to disarm Hezbollah, which was severely weakened in the latest war with its arch-foe Israel.
A November truce accord was based on a U.N. Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and United Nations peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon.
It calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.
Last Friday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said the group "will not let anyone disarm" it, adding it was ready for dialogue on a "defense strategy," "but not under the pressure of occupation" by Israel.
Under the truce, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters north of Lebanon's Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
Israel was to withdraw all its forces from south Lebanon, but troops remain in five positions that it deems "strategic".
Source: Naharnet
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