Berri says Karam's mission 'more important' than his name

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the mission of the civilian who was included in a committee monitoring the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is more important than the name.

"The important thing for me is what he will do," Berri told online news website Asas Media in remarks published Friday, adding that what is important is that former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam succeed in ending Israel's violations and occupation, and in returning the Lebanese prisoners.

Lebanon and Israel both announced Wednesday the appointment of civilian members to a previously military-only committee monitoring enforcement of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war with Israel.

The civilian members — Simon Karam, an attorney and former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S., and Uri Resnick, the Israeli National Security Council’s deputy director for foreign policy — took part in Wednesday’s meeting of the mechanism.

Berri told Assas Media that he was "the first to propose including civilians" but stressed that the mission of the civilian is purely technical not political, rejecting that the inclusion of Karam is a basis for normalization or direct negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu had claimed that the mission is diplomatic and economic, a claim that Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rebutted. Lebanon is "far from" diplomatic normalization or economic relations with Israel, Salam said.

Media reports said what Netenyahu described as "economic" is Trump's economic buffer zone plan for south Lebanon and the reconstruction of war-hit regions.

What Lebanon wants is a durable ceasefire, the return of prisoners, the definitive cessation of Israeli violations, and a withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories, Berri said, adding that this is the only purpose of the talks "and nothing else."