Berri's diplomatic insights: UNIFIL's role, resolution 1701, and Israel's obstruction

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed his commitment, more than ever, to the continued presence of the international forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) to support the Lebanese army in implementing the international resolution "1701."

This article was originally published in and translated from the Arab outlet Asharq Al-Awsat.

This commitment is based on UNIFIL's role as a representative of the highest international authority, the United Nations, in witnessing Israel's persistence in its aggression against Lebanon and violations of its maritime, aerial, and land sovereignty.

Berri stated to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that UNIFIL "has become a part of Lebanon and its people after more than 45 years since its presence in the south following Israel's initial invasion in 1978."

Berri called for "refraining from incitement and interference in the relationship with the international forces," asserting that these campaigns have no place and will not have political consequences. He emphasized "dealing with UNIFIL as part of Lebanon, not only because many of its members married Lebanese women but also due to its close ties with the southern communities and its commitment to cooperating with them and providing services."

Addressing the speculation about a deal that would barter Resolution "1701" implementation under the Presidency for Hezbollah's share. He said in an indirect response to the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea: "We are not giving up a single meter of security from the south or Lebanese territory in exchange for us obtaining the highest positions in the state."

In addition, Berri revealed that the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, hinted during a farewell visit to him on the occasion of the end of her mandate and her return to her country that President Biden's energy advisor, Amos Hochstein, would visit Beirut this month to mediate between Lebanon and Israel in determining their land borders, without specifying the date of his arrival to carry out this mission, to implement Resolution 1701.

Berri said: "We are present today before tomorrow to implement it, and Israel is the one obstructing its implementation since the date of its issuance by the UN Security Council to put an end to the war it launched against Lebanon in July 2006."

He emphasized that the application starts with Tel Aviv withdrawing from point "B-1-" located in Ras al-Naqoura, which it occupied before withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000.

Berri pointed out, as was reported by his visitors to Asharq Al-Awsat, that "the framework of the agreement to implement Resolution (1701) stipulates Israel's withdrawal from point (B-1-), known for its coordinates and demarcated with Palestine in 1923, and it is one of the points which Lebanon had reservations about that Israel occupied them and refused to give up some of them."

"This forced the Lebanese government not to recognize the Blue Line and treat it as a comprehensive line of withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and was confirmed by the Lebanese military delegation in its indirect negotiations with the Israeli military delegation under the auspices of The international forces are at their headquarters in Naqoura," he continued.

Furthermore, Berri clarified that Israel still holds several points since the liberation of the south on May 25, 2000. He stressed that completing the demarcation of the land borders requires its withdrawal from Shebaa Farms, the hills of Kfarchouba, the Lebanese section of the town of Ghajar, and stopping its violation of Lebanese airspace.

Expressing concern about Israel's escalation in targeting safe villages and attempting to drag the resistance into an open war, Berri stated that Lebanon would not be drawn into it, and "we had asked on foreign envoys visiting Lebanon to go to Tel Aviv and pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military leaders to stop their attacks on Lebanon and the war on Gaza."

President Berri, according to his visitors, stressed the problem that occurred between a group of residents of the towns of Taybeh and Kfarkela, located in the Marjayoun District, and between members of the French and Indonesian battalions, and said that it was just an emergency incident. It is not permissible, as some tried to suggest that "Hezbollah" is behind the fabrication of the incident because it wants to put pressure on international forces to prevent the implementation of Resolution 1701.

He added that the acceleration of communications led to cordoning off its repercussions and preventing it from interacting as long as the Southerners' relationship with UNIFIL was strong. They cooperated with it, and it had a role during the intensification of the Israeli aggression against their villages in protecting coordination with the Lebanese army units deployed in the region for workers in the health sector, civil defense, removing the bodies of martyrs who fell as a result of the Israeli bombing and transporting the injured to hospitals to receive first aid and treatment.

In this context, the visitors reported that Speaker Berri stressed, in his meetings with his partisans and officials of the Amal Movement, the necessity of cooperating without the slightest hesitation with UNIFIL, especially in light of the difficult and exceptional circumstances that the south is going through.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that President Berri has an appointment in the coming hours to meet with the head of the UNIFIL mission and its Force Commander, General Aroldo Lazaro, to confirm that "the problems that occurred will not affect the relationship between the southerners and the international forces," as sources close to Berri said.