Berri warns against direct talks, says Khalil in KSA on a mission
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has made no secret of his "displeasure and resentment" at President Joseph Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam's decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.
"He reiterates to his visitors his categorical rejection of any form of direct negotiation with Israel, emphasizing that the priority must remain achieving a ceasefire, strengthening civil peace, and preventing a slide into internal strife," the daily said.
He points out that "this position is not new, having been expressed repeatedly, most recently in the statement issued by the Amal Movement's presidential council a few days ago, as well as in the statement issued by the movement's executive committee the day before yesterday."
Commenting on the statement issued after the meeting between the Lebanese ambassador and the Israeli ambassador in Washington, Berri expressed to al-Akhbar his "astonishment" at the course taken by the officials, saying: "They went to the United States to secure a ceasefire, and returned to fight Hezbollah!"
He warned that abandoning engagement in a broader regional negotiation process and opting for unilateral negotiations without any leverage weakens Lebanon's position instead of strengthening it.
Berri, who according to al-Akhbar is in daily contact with Iran, recalled that he had been informed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, prior to the announcement of the truce between Iran and the U.S., that Tehran would not accept any ceasefire that did not include Lebanon.
He added: "After the disruption this process experienced in Beirut, I decided to pursue other channels."
In this context, Berri points out that sending his political advisor, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, to Riyadh was at the request of the Saudis and as part of clear political efforts.
"He did not go there for leisure or to perform Umrah," Berri quipped.
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