LF leader Geagea tells Morgan Ortagus: Disarming illegal armed groups is a central Lebanese demand

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea received U.S. Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus at his residence in Maarab for wide-ranging talks on Lebanon's internal and regional situation. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Natasha Franceschi and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson accompanied Ortagus. MP Strida Geagea and Executive Committee member Joseph Gebeily also attended the meeting.

The discussion centered on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and related arrangements, particularly the full enforcement of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. 

The U.S. delegation and Lebanese officials stressed the need for the Lebanese state to extend its authority over all its territory, disarm Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, secure the Syrian border, ensure full control of air and sea ports, and finalize Israel's withdrawal from remaining occupied areas in South Lebanon.

Talks also covered reconstruction and economic revival efforts, which participants agreed must be tied to establishing full state sovereignty and the exclusive possession of weapons by legitimate state institutions.

Geagea reaffirmed that disarming illegal armed groups is a central Lebanese demand, describing it as the only viable path toward a functional state. 

"Without a strong and effective state, Lebanon will remain stuck in the same cycle it has endured for the past two decades," he said