Nabih Berri: Ready for Settlement... And No Message to President Aoun

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri affirmed that "the door to settlement remains open," stressing that he is "ready to find solutions if the other party is also ready," and said: "If there is readiness for settlement, I am ready for it, and no one wants the country to reach a dead end."

Regarding the possible form of settlement, Berri reiterated, in an interview with "Al-Diyar," his opposition to direct negotiations from the outset, considering that he knew where they would lead, and that they resulted in an agreement he described as an agreement of sedition and as bad and unjust towards Lebanon.

He pointed out that the agreement he sponsored on November 27, 2024, constituted a different model, as it led to the complete withdrawal of Hezbollah from south of the Litani without resorting to direct negotiations.

Berri revealed that before reaching the framework agreement, communication took place with the President of the Republic, where he requested adopting the principle of Israeli withdrawal according to districts, not according to experimental zones, considering that this option would ensure a clearer and more serious mechanism for implementation.

He added that Baabda agreed to this proposal, but they were later surprised that the framework agreement adopted the principle of experimental zones instead of the principle of districts.

Regarding the expansion of international demands to include areas beyond south of the Litani, Berri explained that there is readiness for Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani in conjunction with a complete Israeli withdrawal. As for the weapons north of the Litani, he affirmed that the position is based on containing weapons within the framework of the Lebanese state, not only in north of the Litani, but in all of Lebanon, so that the state is the sole reference. Berri stressed that Israel seeks, through its pressures and demands, to drag the Lebanese army into clashing with the resistance, considering that this is the real goal it is working towards. However, he emphasized that this will not happen, because the Lebanese are aware of the danger of being dragged into internal sedition, and because the army and the resistance will not be pushed to serve Israeli objectives.

Regarding the framework agreement, Berri said that when he read it, he considered it "an agreement of sedition," and therefore he hastened to launch his position rejecting the country's slide into division, affirming: "No to sedition, no to the street."

He stressed that the priority remains protecting internal stability and preventing the transfer of political disagreement to the street, considering this the first line of defense for civil peace.

Regarding his message to the President of the Republic, he merely said that he currently has no message to send.

Regarding ways out of the crisis, Berri reiterated his vision that Lebanon needs an international umbrella to help achieve a settlement, considering that this umbrella should include the United States of America, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, because they constitute, in his view, the basic guarantee for any viable settlement.

Regarding ongoing Arab and international contacts, particularly Egyptian and Qatari ones, Berri welcomed all initiatives aimed at helping Lebanon overcome its ordeal, affirming that any Arab or international effort aimed at bringing the Lebanese together and warding off the specter of division is welcome.

Speaker Berri concluded by stressing that his position has not changed since the first moment, which is that protecting national unity, preventing sedition, and preserving institutions remain the absolute priority at this delicate stage, because Lebanon's stability, in his view, is the foundation upon which any future political settlement must be built.

Al-Diyar