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Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Raji, considered that the visit of President Joseph Aoun to Washington contributed to moving forward the implementation of the framework agreement, stressing that the government is continuing to restrict weapons to the state and restore its authority over the entire Lebanese territory.
Raji said, in an interview with the French newspaper “Journal du Dimanche”, that “the visit of the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, contributed to breaking the existing deadlock in the issue of the experimental areas,” noting that “the Lebanese army has actually begun its deployment in the first of these areas, and the bet now is on the continuation of this step and that the army expands its control to include the entire south.”
Framework Agreement and Disarmament
Raji described the agreement signed under American auspices as a “framework agreement,” considering that “every clause in it constitutes a foundation upon which future negotiations will be built.”
He added, “The Lebanese government took a decision a year and a half ago to disarm Hezbollah and consider all its military operations illegal,” stressing that “the government is determined to re-establish full state authority, which requires dismantling Hezbollah’s military structure and handing over its weapons.”
He stressed that “the problem is not with the Shiite sect, but rather with the party specifically,” rejecting “the idea of separating the military and political wings of the party,” and considering that “the highest priority is disarmament.”
He also believed that “Hezbollah has been greatly weakened militarily, and its stock of ballistic missiles does not represent the primary challenge facing the government, as any possible rebellion by the party against the state will not be through this type of weapon.”
Raji stressed that “Lebanon has for the first time a government with a clear sovereign orientation,” noting that the state “has actually begun to show its determination to restore its authority,” and that “the Lebanese army today possesses the required capabilities.”
He added, “The Lebanese goal is clear: to restore the monopoly of legitimate force in the hands of the state without any ambiguity, allowing the army to fully exercise its responsibilities,” calling on the international community to continue supporting this path.
“Tel Aviv does not have any regional ambitions towards Lebanon.”
Raji believed that the United States “is the party most capable of influencing Israel,” noting that Washington obtained “an official confirmation that Tel Aviv does not have any regional ambitions toward Lebanon,” considering that this strengthens confidence in American mediation.
Regarding the French role, he said that Paris “tried in good faith to move the process forward,” expressing his hope that it would contribute, after the final conclusion of the agreement, to “strengthening institutions, supporting the Lebanese army, reconstruction, and economic recovery.”
He concluded by expressing his hope for a “Lebanon freed from any occupation and from any illegal weapons, a reconstructed, prosperous and democratic Lebanon that receives tourists again, and lives in peace with its neighbors and with the entire world.”
