Berri 'doesn't necessarily represent the Lebanese,' says LF MP

Ghassan Hasbani, a member of parliament from the Lebanese Forces (LF), said on Tuesday that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri “does not represent the Lebanese state in his position,” as his stance “does not necessarily represent the Lebanese,” in the indirect negotiations currently being conducted by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, who is touring Lebanon.

In remarks reported by the official National News Agency (NNA), Hasbani believes that “there is no Lebanese position today. Negotiations are taking place between Israel, via the United States, and Hezbollah, via its appointed mediator, Nabih Berri." But he “does not represent the Lebanese state in his function, because the position he expresses does not necessarily represent that of the Lebanese,” he continued.

The American envoy was in Ain al-Tineh this morning for talks on a proposed cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, in the presence of the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson. American efforts have intensified of late to spare Lebanon from the scenario of all-out war, in parallel with a deadly escalation on the ground.

“The representatives of the Lebanese people, the MPs, are not informed of the details of the proposals and are content with what is relayed by the media. What we perceive is the position of the Shiite party and its appointed representatives, not that of the Lebanese state,” lamented the LF MP, whose party is fiercely opposed to Hezbollah.

Hasbani also insisted on “a lasting solution that guarantees the sovereignty of the Lebanese State and the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the army” that will enable the state to “fully assume responsibility for the agreements signed and the implementation of international resolutions 1559, 1680, 1701 as well as the Taif agreement.”

“It was not the Lebanese state that decided to engage in this war, and it is therefore not up to it to put an end to it, unless the monopoly of arms is restored to it,” he said, in a thinly veiled allusion to the pro-Iranian party, already castigated by the LF and others for the ‘support front’ it opened against Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, claiming to be acting in support of the Palestinian movement.