INA–Follow up
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed on Thursday that the path of negotiation is the fastest and least costly for Lebanon.
Salam stated, in remarks reported by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "negotiation was not the only available option, but it was the best one."
"The option of negotiations does not preclude resorting to any other options in parallel," he added.
"The path of negotiation is the fastest and least costly for Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the South, and the people of the South," he continued.
"The absence of armed men and weapons south of the Litani River was not imposed upon us, but rather what Lebanon pledged when it agreed to Resolution 1701," he further stated.
The deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot areas as a first phase does not negate our right to a complete withdrawal," Salam stated.
He clarified that all parties are required to prioritize Lebanon's interests, and whoever refuses will bear the sole responsibility for any resulting consequences.
"The negotiations were not easy, and our delegation faced (Israeli) intransigence. What we are demanding in these negotiations is not new," he stressed.
