Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to disarming Hezbollah and enacting long-overdue reforms, describing them as both national and international priorities during a series of high-level meetings at the presidential palace, Report informs via Lebanese media.
“We are committed to working toward both goals,” Aoun said during talks with a visiting delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), headed by former American diplomat, Edward Gabriel. “Rebuilding trust is a process we have already begun.”
During his meeting with the ATFL delegation, Aoun welcomed US support and said that reforms and the disarmament of Hezbollah are “Lebanese demands as much as they are American and international demands.”
Aoun also met with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, with whom he discussed the general situation in the country, notably developments in southern Lebanon, and the outcome of US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus’s recent visit.
Asked about the process of disarming Hezbollah, Aoun emphasized the need for dialogue.
“As I said in my inaugural speech, there is no place for any weapons or armed groups outside the framework of the State,” he said. “These matters must be resolved through communication and dialogue. At the end of the day, Hezbollah is a Lebanese component.”
On security, Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and commended the performance of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, in southern Lebanon.
“The will to defuse tensions is there, and UNIFIL is doing an excellent job,” he said. “But the force carries a heavy burden. Lebanon needs both time and space to resolve issues calmly.”
The President pointed to repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and urged the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw from five occupied positions along the border.
“Their continued presence complicates the situation further and serves no benefit to Lebanon,” he warned.
Aoun also revealed that the government had recently approved the recruitment of 4,500 new soldiers to bolster Lebanese Army readiness in the south.
