Lebanon and Israel completed two days of "positive" negotiations – US official
Kyiv • UNN
In Rome, negotiations between Lebanon and Israel mediated by the United States have concluded. A US official reported progress in implementing the pilot zone plan, which envisions the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
On Wednesday, Lebanon and Israel concluded US-mediated talks in Rome, with an American official stating that progress had been made in implementing a plan that could lead to the beginning of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some areas of southern Lebanon within days, reports UNN citing The Guardian.
Details
The two longtime adversaries held talks at the ambassadorial level at the US Embassy in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday — the sixth round of in-person negotiations since the start of the new war on March 2 between Israel and the Lebanese armed group "Hezbollah", triggered by the broader regional conflict.
Under a June 26 framework agreement brokered by the US, Lebanon and Israel agreed to implement a "pilot zone" project, which involves the disarmament of militant groups — apparently meaning "Hezbollah" — as well as the deployment of Lebanese troops in the south and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces.
In written comments distributed to journalists, the American official called the two-day talks "productive and positive."
"We agreed on the structure and guiding principles of the process for establishing a pilot zone, which will be finalized and implemented in the coming days," the official told Reuters.