Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. (Credit: NNA)
President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that "Hezbollah is cooperating in southern Lebanon" and that priority was now "given" to this region recovering from a destructive war between the party and Israel, in an interview with the French channel France 24, on the eve of his visit Friday to Paris, where he will meet President Emmanuel Macron.
During his interview, Aoun praised the role played by France in supporting Lebanon, which intends to implement the reforms requested by the international community, he stated.
As the Elysee’s envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, just visited Beirut, the president revisited the message conveyed to him. France demands two preconditions for holding the support conference for Lebanon it wishes to organize in the coming months: "The conclusion of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)" and "the implementation of reforms."
"The government has begun working to reach the necessary agreements as quickly as possible, because we have no time to waste, nor the luxury of time," he said."We are determined to implement reforms to restore trust and gain that of the international community, which will help us pull Lebanon out of the economic crisis and contribute to its reconstruction. We have no other choice."
After playing a key role in the presidential election process, which unblocked the vote and elected a head of state last January after more than two years of vacancy, Le Drian was tasked by Paris to oversee the reconstruction dossier in the country following 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel. His mission is to accompany the reconstruction process alongside efforts to build the state under the leadership of President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
‘Priority to southern Lebanon’
Concerning Hezbollah’s disarmament process, under the agreement that ended the war between the party and Israel, Aoun stated that, in the south of the country, "the Lebanese army is doing its job" with the government to implement United Nations resolution 1701. "The response regarding the exclusivity of bearing arms will be provided by the national defense strategy," he said, according to whom "Hezbollah cooperates in southern Lebanon."
"The priority is now given to southern Lebanon, and the next step depends on the Lebanese consensus and the national security strategy within the framework of internal dialogue," he added.
Aoun also stated that the Israeli army had not completed its withdrawal from Lebanon and accused "Israel of violating the cease-fire and the agreement reached." On Nov. 27, 2024, Israel and Hezbollah reached a cease-fire agreement under the auspices of France and the United States. "The United States and France are the guarantors of the cease-fire," the Lebanese president said, "and we are intensifying our contacts to avoid any escalation."
The cease-fire agreement is violated almost daily by Israel with strikes and overflights. Additionally, the Israeli army still occupies five positions it considers strategic in southern Lebanon, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will not be withdrawing from them.
"If we manage to resolve the 13 outstanding points on the Blue Line, a joint military-civil committee composed of experts and technicians can be set up, as was the case during the maritime border delineation, where an agreement was reached," Aoun stated. He added that "what is needed to reach this point is respect for the cease-fire, stopping Israeli violations, withdrawing from the five points, and liberating the Lebanese prisoners," held in Israel.
Regarding American demands for direct negotiations with Israel, Aoun stated that no negotiations on normalization between the two countries was on the agenda: "This subject is not on the table." On this matter, Lebanon remains committed to the Arab peace initiative and will await the circumstances of any future agreement with Israel, added the president.
The Arab summit in Beirut in 2002 resulted in the adoption of the "Arab peace initiative" proposed by Saudi Arabia. This plan offered Israel comprehensive peace and normalization of relations with Arab countries in exchange for withdrawing from territories occupied since 1967, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, creating a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and providing a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.
Working with Syria
Regarding the situation at the Lebanese-Syrian border, President Aoun said he addressed the issue "to control potential problems and smuggling" during his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Arab summit in Cairo in early March. "We are waiting for President Ahmad al-Sharaa to form a government to then set up committees and work on demarcation [of the border], resolve all outstanding issues with Syria, and discuss the return of Syrian displaced persons and the control of clandestine passages," he stated, adding that the incidents occurring at the border "concerned smugglers."
The president also said that the country "faces a problem of maritime and land border demarcation, from the northeast to Deir al-Ashayer, to the Shebaa farms" in southern Lebanon. Lebanon shares a 330-kilometer border with Syria without official demarcation at several points, making it porous and conducive to smuggling. The new Syrian authorities announced in early February the launch of a security operation in the border region of Homs to "close the smuggling routes for weapons and goods."
Clashes have occurred several times at the Lebanese-Syrian border since the fall of the Assad regime in December. The most recent clashes broke out Sunday, March 16, after an incident that the Lebanese side describes as an "infiltration" of Syrian soldiers into Lebanon, at the level of the village of al-Qasr, while Damascus talks about an ambush and the "liquidation" of Syrian soldiers "by Hezbollah." The party denied any involvement. Exchanges of fire involving the Lebanese army, which also used heavy artillery, were observed in the region. The next day, March 17, a precarious cease-fire was reached between Lebanon and Syria.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.