Aoun: Regional and international developments and Israeli elections may have slowed negotiations but did not stop them

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirms that negotiations to stop the war and achieve Israeli withdrawal have not stopped despite regional and international developments and Israeli elections that slowed their pace, pointing to continued contacts led by Ambassador Nada Maawad with the US administration.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that regional and international developments and Israeli elections may have slowed the pace of negotiations but did not stop them. During his reception of a delegation of university media students at Baabda Palace, he emphasized that the goal he is working towards is stopping the war, achieving Israeli withdrawal, saving and rebuilding the south, returning prisoners, and bringing back displaced persons, and preventing the war from expanding to cover all Lebanese territory. Aoun added that without resorting to negotiation, the Israeli aggression would have targeted Beirut and various public facilities. He reaffirmed that there is no third option between war and negotiations, noting that wars usually end either by one side achieving a decisive victory over the other who surrenders, or through negotiation. He mentioned that there are difficulties but nothing is impossible, citing a set of achievements that have been made but are not sufficiently highlighted. He pointed to the continued contacts led by Ambassador Nada Maawad with the US administration to push negotiations forward.

Aoun: Regional and international developments and Israeli elections may have slowed negotiations but did not stop them