Dispute over ceasefire and Shiite representation complicates proposed Lebanon-Israel negotiations: The details

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

The Israeli war on Lebanon continues to escalate, as efforts intensify to find an opening for negotiations based on an initiative proposed by President Joseph Aoun.

The central point of disagreement has not changed. Lebanon is seeking a ceasefire first, or at least a guaranteed commitment to one, before negotiations begin. Israel, however, insists on conducting negotiations while hostilities continue.

Additional issues have emerged, including the composition of the Lebanese negotiating delegation.

So far, the proposed delegation includes Simon Karam and Paul Salem, both Christians; Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry Abdel Sattar Issa, a Sunni Muslim; and former ambassador Chawki Bou Nassar, a Druze. The delegation, however, still lacks a representative from the Shiite community.

This is where the main obstacle lies. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has maintained his position that the Amal Movement and Hezbollah alliance will not nominate a Shiite representative for the delegation.

According to people who met with Berri in recent hours, he has also refused to allow anyone else to appoint such a representative.

Pressure exerted on him has not changed his stance. Discussions with the U.S. ambassador — who insists that a Shiite representative be included in the delegation — as well as talks with the French ambassador have not altered his position.

Observers say the parliament speaker is not prepared to make any concessions unless they are accompanied by a genuine guarantee that Israeli attacks on Lebanon will stop. Until then, his position remains unchanged.

Amid an atmosphere suggesting that negotiations may not take place at all, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, expressing concern for Lebanon’s stability, has stepped in.

Jumblatt sent former minister Ghazi Aridi to meet Berri in Ain al-Tineh, conveying his support for negotiations and urging that the Shiite community be represented in the delegation, provided the process is based on a clear political framework.