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LEBANON CEASE-FIRE

State monopoly on arms: When will Aoun and Hezbollah engage in direct talks?

While no Hezbollah delegation is expected in Baabda in the near future, “friends in common” shuttle back and forth between the two sides.

State monopoly on arms: When will Aoun and Hezbollah engage in direct talks?

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, surrounded by several party MPs, at the Baabda Palace, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)

President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday, “Everything can be resolved through dialogue.” This statement sums up his approach to the delicate issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. For weeks, the president has seized every opportunity to express his commitment to a bilateral dialogue with the party on the state’s monopoly on arms, particularly since the international community — especially the U.S. — continues to push hard. However, no meeting between the two sides has happened yet in Baabda Presidential Palace, and nothing indicates that a breakthrough is expected anytime soon, as the focus now seems to be on indirect dialogue through "friends in common.”L’Orient-Le Jour learned that several prominent figures from both sides are involved in this process. Several sources consistently indicated that retired General Andre Rahal, Aoun’s...
President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday, “Everything can be resolved through dialogue.” This statement sums up his approach to the delicate issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. For weeks, the president has seized every opportunity to express his commitment to a bilateral dialogue with the party on the state’s monopoly on arms, particularly since the international community — especially the U.S. — continues to push hard. However, no meeting between the two sides has happened yet in Baabda Presidential Palace, and nothing indicates that a breakthrough is expected anytime soon, as the focus now seems to be on indirect dialogue through "friends in common.”L’Orient-Le Jour learned that several prominent figures from both sides are involved in this process. Several sources consistently indicated that retired General Andre...