The ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the United States held a meeting in Washington, as efforts continue to organize an expanded round of talks between the two sides under U.S. mediation.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing an Israeli official, that Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter met with his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, on Tuesday evening in the U.S. capital.
The official added that the meeting was limited in scope compared with the recent rounds of talks held under U.S. mediation, without disclosing the issues discussed during the meeting.
The next expanded round of talks is expected to take place in Rome next month, after meetings scheduled for this week were postponed.
Earlier, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that his country was seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel aimed at ending the state of “hostility” between the two countries, stressing that direct negotiations were Lebanon’s only option to prevent another war.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Aoun said: “We are seeking a security agreement first and foremost to end the state of hostility and ensure the deployment of the army along the border. This could serve as a prelude to a subsequent peace agreement.”
He added: “But we cannot jump directly to a peace agreement; we must proceed step by step,” stressing that “the essential step is the Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the (Lebanese) army along the border, and the return of residents and prisoners.”
The Lebanese president also stressed that the state was determined to move forward with its decision to place weapons under state control, referring to the implementation of its decisions to disarm Hezbollah, but without an internal “confrontation.”
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