Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib revealed that the demands conveyed by international envoys to Beirut recently “focus on the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the border area, the return of Israeli settlers to their homes, rather than implementing international resolutions,” while Lebanese officials reiterated their demand for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories after border purification.
International talks with Lebanon to resolve the issue of the war in southern Lebanon collided with two factors, the first being Hezbollah’s clear condition for stopping the war in Gaza before any further discussion on any Lebanese issue in exchange for a ceasefire, and the second being a Lebanese constitutional dilemma of the absence of a president responsible, according to the law, for negotiating and signing international treaties.
Minister Bou Habib said in a radio statement on Sunday that “the envoys’ visits to Beirut after a stop in Tel Aviv focus particularly on raising the issue of the return of Israeli settlers to the border villages with Lebanon, while Lebanon’s demands are known to everyone.” He emphasized, “Our readiness to implement Resolution 1701 in its entirety, if its demands are applied, is the government’s position and the content of the message.”
He pointed out that “the UN meeting on the 23rd of this month, dedicated to dialogue on Middle Eastern issues, is not for final decisions, and Lebanon will take advantage of its presence to clarify its point of view, as included in its message to the United Nations and final agreements regarding Lebanon’s borders, which prioritize stopping the war in Gaza and the presence of a president in Lebanon, whose authority includes signing, not with Israel, but with the United Nations.”
Regarding the behind-the-scenes of the negotiations and whether there is a return to Naqoura and the start of negotiations, he said, “No proposals yet, but the focus is on Hezbollah’s withdrawal and the return of settlers, not the implementation of international resolutions.”
The patriarch Christian forces reject any international agreement in the absence of a presidential vacancy. Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai said in a sermon on Sunday, “Talk has increased in these days about an international movement aiming to demarcate Lebanon’s southern land borders, despite the fact that these borders are drawn and confirmed by international agreements for more than 100 years.” He added, “All this is happening while the first presidency is vacant, and with the presence of a government with incomplete powers, they are the only valid reference to decide on this very important national issue.”
Al-Rai said, “Article 2 of the Constitution stipulates that no part of Lebanese territory may be abandoned or relinquished; therefore, we call for the implementation of international agreements and resolutions regarding Lebanon’s southern land borders, especially Resolution 1701, and not making any border adjustments in the absence of a presidential vacancy and incomplete procedural authority.”
Al-Rai emphasized that “it is unacceptable, neither in the past nor in the present or future, to sideline the head of state, the Maronite Christian, in compliance with the national charter and the Taif Agreement, and to secure the establishment of a state of institutions, whereby the Parliament regains its legislative authority, and the government its procedural powers, rejecting the practice of necessity legislation and necessity measures, while necessity is one, which is the election of a president to ensure the separation of powers and stop the chaos in the state’s life.”
Al-Rai continued, “It is also unacceptable, on the other hand, for laws, negotiations, treaties, and agreements to be negotiated exclusively within the powers of the president, according to Article 52 of the Constitution. It is also unacceptable, on the third hand, to link the election of the president to the cessation of the war on Gaza because his presence is much more effective than any other means, as he carries the cause of the Palestinians highly on both the regional and international levels, and protects Lebanon, its land, people, and entity.”
