The American envoy, Amos Hochstein, during a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Serail, Jan. 11, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
In an interview with Al-Arabiya on Sunday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Lebanon on Monday, describing it as a final opportunity for the United States to achieve a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel on Tuesday, according to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid.
In an interview with Lebanese channel al-Jadeed on Friday evening, Hochstein emphasized the importance of encouraging the Lebanese state to deploy its army in southern Lebanon, as stipulated by UN Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006. He also called for an ''amendment to 1701,'' regretting that it ''has not been properly implemented.'' Hochstein urged that the war in Lebanon be addressed ''independently of other conflicts,'' alluding to Hezbollah’s insistence on linking any ceasefire to halting Israel's offensive in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had called for Israel to limit its strikes on Beirut and its suburbs, expressing regret over the large number of civilian casualties from Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Since October 2023, 2,448 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes, and 11,471 have been injured.
Berri and Resolution 1701
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri reiterated Saturday that Lebanon was ''committed to resolution 1701 as it stands,'' stressing that a ceasefire in Lebanon was ''necessary,'' as well as the election of a president after nearly two years of vacancy since Michel Aoun's term ended.
A leaked draft resolution on Lebanon, which L'Orient Today reviewed, suggests a '1701 plus,' merging Resolutions 1701 and 1559. It calls for Hezbollah's disarmament and invokes Chapter VII of the UN to prevent any entity other than the Lebanese state from possessing arms. It also surprisingly mentions early legislative elections, the election of a president and the formation of a technocratic government.
“Personally, I don't know what the '1701 plus' is,” said Berri, as reported by the al-Jadeed channel. He added that “the American envoy Amos Hochstein has asked for an appointment in Ain al-Tineh after a long period of no communication”, announcing that the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmad Aboulgheit will also visit Beirut this Monday, Oct. 21.
“Resolution 1701 has swallowed up everything. Resolution 1559 [passed in September 2004 and providing for the disarmament of militias, including Hezbollah, as well as the withdrawal of all remaining foreign forces in the country, editor's note], was linked to the circumstances of the Syrian era and the militias of the time and also included the withdrawal from occupied territories [such as the Shebaa farms, editor's note]. Today, there is only Resolution 1701 on the table”, said Berri.
In a subsequent interview with Al-Arabiya later on Sunday, Berri expressed his refusal to amend U.N. Resolution 1701, stating, "I have a plan I am working on to save Lebanon, and there is American desire for a ceasefire before the elections." He denied claims that "Iran is obstructing" this plan.
In that same interview, and highlighting the unprecedented challenges facing Prime Minister Nagib Mikati's government, Berri explained that electing Army Commander Joseph Aoun—seen as the international community's preferred candidate—as president would require a constitutional amendment and the approval of over 86 representatives. He emphasized that he had "never spoken about electing a Lebanese president before a cease-fire."
Finally, Berri remarked that the light at the end of the tunnel for the region is the "Saudi-Iranian rapprochement" that began in March 2023.
Bou Habib’s European Diplomatic Tour
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib began a week-long European tour on Sunday to garner broader diplomatic support for a ceasefire in Lebanon, culminating in the Paris conference on Thursday, Oct. 24, organized by France to assist Lebanon.
Bou Habib’s first stop will be Italy, where he will attend a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States) in Pescara, at the official invitation of his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani. According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Bou Habib will advocate for the full and balanced implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the strengthening of the Lebanese army's deployment south of the Litani River.
Bou Habib will also request urgent humanitarian aid to address the displacement of approximately one-quarter of Lebanon's population, or 1.4 million people, since Israel’s expanded offensive on Sept. 23. Following Italy, he will visit the Vatican, Barcelona for the Union for the Mediterranean meeting, and Paris, where he will meet with UNESCO officials to discuss the protection of Lebanon’s heritage sites and support for public education. Two complaints against Israel have also been lodged by Lebanon's Permanent Mission to the United Nations with the UN Security Council, denouncing the repercussions of Israeli attacks on these two sectors in Lebanon.
He will then join the official Lebanese delegation, headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who will take part in the Paris conference scheduled for this Thursday, Oct. 24, at France's initiative, to help Lebanon, already crippled by a severe socio-economic crisis and further devastated by the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah since Oct. 8, 2023.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
