Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
France has been ruled out of a potential international force that would verify Hezbollah’s disarmament after both Israel and the US vetoed its participation, according to Reuters citing Lebanese and diplomatic sources, as negotiations continue over the implementation of a US-brokered agreement.
The issue surfaced as Lebanon and Israel agreed this week on a shortlist of countries that could take part in the verification mission. The final decision on which country, or countries, will be deployed now rests with Washington, a Lebanese official told Reuters on Friday.
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The shortlist was finalised during meetings at the US embassy in Rome as part of efforts to implement the June 26 agreement, which links Israel’s phased military withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah under third-party verification.
The Lebanese official declined to identify the countries on the shortlist or say how many were included. However, another Lebanese official and two foreign diplomats previously told Reuters that France had been rejected after objections from both Israel and the US.
Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has repeatedly rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
“We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors. The Americans will now decide, and could pick more than one country,” the Lebanese official said.
Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the reported veto or the shortlist. A US State Department spokesperson described the Rome discussions as “productive on the technical and expert levels” but declined to provide further details.
LEBANON REJECTS PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS
The Lebanese official said Beirut had also rejected an earlier proposal to use private security companies to oversee Hezbollah’s disarmament, insisting that only sovereign states should be considered for the role.
Discussions are continuing on the size of the verification force, its mandate and how it would coordinate with the Lebanese army.
UN FRAMEWORK UNDER DISCUSSION
Officials are considering placing the force under the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, whose mandate expires later this year. Such a move would require a new UN Security Council resolution, an option the Lebanese official described as a breakthrough because the US and Israel are now willing to consider it.
Other options include deploying the force under another UN agency or through a memorandum of understanding with the Lebanese government.
NO AGREEMENT ON ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL
The Rome talks did not produce an agreement on the next area from which Israeli forces would withdraw.
Lebanon proposed that Israeli troops pull out of the southern towns of Bint Jbeil and Khiam, but negotiators failed to reach consensus. The next round of talks is expected in early September.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
