Is Lebanon preparing for political negotiations with Israel?
As the U.S.-led Mechanism meetings in Naqoura falter -- or prepare to enter a new phase -- behind-the-scenes political activity involving Lebanon, the U.S. and Israel is gaining momentum, a media report said.
These moves aim to launch negotiations that “transcend the geographical coordinates of Hezbollah’s arsenals and tunnels, moving instead toward the level of ‘political surgery’ in a scenario mirroring the Syrian model,” Lebanon’s al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Americans and Israelis are “dismantling the entire ‘toolkit’ used during the first phase south of the Litani River. They are pulling ‘life support’ from the Naqoura Mechanism committee, viewing it as a symbol of the ‘gray model’ that Lebanese officials have long relied on to stall and buy time, backed by France and UNIFIL,” the daily said.
The ready alternative will be a tripartite framework consisting only of Lebanon, Israel and the United States, while technical security discussions may continue between military officers, al-Joumhouria said, adding that “the real, deep negotiations will take place within a high-level political committee focused on political and economic interests and partnerships.”
Al-Joumhouria also said that the U.S. and Israel want the tripartite meetings to be held in Europe, with Cyprus as the most likely option in light of its geographical proximity to both Lebanon and Israel.
“The Americans prefer to rule out France, because they want ‘harsh’ political negotiations with Lebanon, away from the ‘romanticism’ of the French diplomacy,” the daily added.
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