Aoun denies US vetting of Lebanese soldiers, says framework deal 'not perfect'
President Joseph Aoun is preparing to visit the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump this month, after a new round of Lebanon-Israel talks that will be held next week in Rome.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said said Aoun will meet with Trump on July 21.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump are also meeting soon. A report published Tuesday in An-Nahar confirmed that Aoun will not meet with Netanyahu and that "he would leave immediately if he found himself in the same room with him."
In an interview with the daily, Aoun said the framework agreement is not "perfect" but is a result of the balance of power on the battlefield.
Aoun revealed that the first pilot zone will be in Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, noting progress in the military talks. He stated that the Lebanese delegation had discussed the Ali al-Taher Hill with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, requesting that it be handed over to the Lebanese Army. According to Aoun, while Israeli Netanyahu agreed to the proposal, Hezbollah rejected it.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army raised Israel's flag in Ali al-Taher, amid Israeli claims that Hezbollah fighters are hiding in tunnels there. Israel claims that an extensive, heavily fortified Hezbollah tunnel system sits directly beneath the hill, where dozens of fighters — including elite Radwan force members — remain entrenched and cut off.
Aoun denied that there was a rift between diplomatic and military negotiators in Washington, refuting claims that a new army brigade would implement the agreement or that the U.S. would vet Lebanese soldiers.
Israeli Ambassador Leiter claimed in an interview Monday that Hezbollah activists and sympathizers are members of the Lebanese army and said Israel has submitted a proposal to have the U.S. vet the army to weed out Hezbollah sympathizers.
The Times of Israel reported that President Trump had suggested that Israel should be the one to vet and train the Lebanese soldiers, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded that the army hates Hezbollah "but they’re not ready to love the Israelis yet."
Aoun stated that the troops currently operating in the south would implement the agreement, expressing full confidence in the military institution.
The President said he discussed with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Lebanon's participation in the "Geneva Cell" — an international diplomatic and military coordination body that will oversee, implement, and monitor the ceasefire in Lebanon.
He said the Lebanese Army would be represented by an officer serving in south Lebanon, alongside representatives from the United States, Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan.
Aoun denied any rift with Speaker Nabih Berri, noting that they both agree on prioritizing the fortification and reconstruction of the south, as well as the return of displaced residents to their towns.
Source: Naharnet
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