Speaker Berri: Syria Will Not Intervene; Return to Islamabad Memorandum Necessary

Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri stated that Syria is not considering engaging with Hezbollah or intervening in Lebanon. He stressed that during his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shayebani last week, all matters were discussed with great clarity.

Sources close to Ain Al-Tineh indicated that relations with Baabda remain very cold. Efforts by Ben Farhan have so far only resulted in limited communication between President Aoun’s advisor André Rahal and MP Ali Hassan Khalil, without any progress on contentious issues. Berri affirmed that ultimately, it is necessary to return to the provisions concerning Lebanon in the Iran-US memorandum of understanding that began negotiations in Islamabad.