Aoun: Ceasefire is the starting point for any settlement, and there is no cover for any path outside the state

President Joseph Aoun before a delegation from Hasbaya and Arqoub:

We informed the American side, which is kindly undertaking mediation efforts, from the very first moment that a ceasefire is a necessary first step for any subsequent negotiations. This is what we reiterated in the two sessions held at ambassadorial level on April 14 and 23, and it was clearly stated in the statement issued by the US State Department after the first session, which we reaffirmed. Its third paragraph stipulated that “Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets on Lebanese territory by land, sea, or air.”

This is the official position of the Lebanese state regarding what is taking place in Lebanon or in Washington. We are not concerned with any other statements, and there is no official Lebanese cover for them.

Some hold us accountable for deciding to enter negotiations on the grounds that there is no national consensus, and I ask: when you went to war, did you first have national consensus?

Even before negotiations began, some started directing arrows of criticism and accusations of treason, claiming that we are entering negotiations in surrender. To them we say: wait until the negotiations begin, then judge the outcome.

How long will the people of the South continue to pay the price of others’ wars on our land, most recently the war in support of Gaza and the war in support of Iran? Had the war been for Lebanon, we would have supported it. But when the aim of the war is to serve the interests of others, I reject the war entirely.

What we are doing is not treason. Rather, treason is committed by those who drag their country into war in pursuit of external interests.

It is my duty to bear responsibility for my decision and lead my country on the path to salvation, within the constants I have affirmed. My goal is to reach an end to the state of war with Israel, along the lines of the Armistice Agreement. Was the Armistice Agreement humiliation? I will not accept reaching a humiliating agreement.