Berri and Hochstein agree 'no more time to waste' on Gaza ceasefire
Visiting U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein warned Wednesday that the clock was ticking for a Gaza ceasefire that would also end 10 months of cross-border exchanges between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel.
Hochstein told a Beirut news conference that he and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, discussed "the framework agreement that's on the table for a Gaza ceasefire, and he and I agreed there is no more time to waste and there's no more valid excuses from any party for any further delay."
"The deal would also help enable a diplomatic resolution here in Lebanon and that would prevent an outbreak of a wider war," Hochstein said.
“The more time goes by of escalated tensions the more time goes by of daily conflict the more the odds and the chances go up for accidents, for mistakes, for inadvertent targets to be hit that could easily cause escalation that goes out of control,” Hochstein warned.
"Here in Lebanon we believe we can get to (the) end of the conflict now, today. We recognize that there are those who want to tie it to other conflicts. That is not our position," Hochstein said.
"We have to take advantage of this window for diplomatic action and diplomatic solutions. That time is now," he added.
Berri for his part stressed the need to “halt the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon that has been ongoing for more than 10 months,” expressing grave concern over “the escalatory steps that the Israeli political and military echelons have been taking through the policy of cross-border assassinations.”
“This policy points to Israel’s determination to press forward with military escalation and foil any efforts to stop the war,” the Speaker added.
Berri also reiterated “Lebanon’s adherence to the renewal of the mandate of the UNIFIL forces as per U.N. resolution 1701, which Lebanon has been seeking its full implementation ever since it was issued in 2006.”
Hochstein arrived Wednesday in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials, amid efforts to de-escalate tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.
Lebanon has been on a knife's edge since a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs last week killed Hezbollah's top military commander, just hours before the assassination, blamed on Israel, of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge, amid fears that retaliatory attacks could spiral into all-out war, with airlines suspending flights to Lebanon and countries imploring foreign nationals to leave.
"Hochstein will not offer a solution but he'd rather deliver warnings and threats," pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Hochstein last visited Beirut and Israel in June in an attempt to avoid a further escalation and to negotiate a ceasefire on Lebanon's border.
Meanwhile, international mediators were trying to kickstart stalled cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas with a new round of talks Thursday meant to finally clinch a deal between the sides. But the chances of a breakthrough appear slim.
Prior to the meeting, Berri told al-Akhbar that he would have preferred to meet Hochstein after the ceasefire talks. He said he had no idea what information Hochstein would carry to Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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