Beirut: MP Melhem Khalaf affirmed that "negotiations are within the authority of the President of the Republic according to the Constitution, in consultation with the Prime Minister, provided that a complete legal framework is reached through the Cabinet, to be subsequently ratified by the Parliament."
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, in an interview with "Voice of All Lebanon" Radio Channel this morning, Khalaf said: "We must understand the framework within which negotiations will take place, whether it be a ceasefire, truce, security agreement, normalization, or peace," noting that "each approach requires a specific strategy."
He added, "Any approach must be based on a single, unifying principle: the restoration of Lebanon's sovereign rights."
Khalaf stressed "the need to adhere to international conventions and international law and to hold fast to right, because that puts us in a position of strength, even though international legitimacy is powerless and perhaps failing, but this does not mean resorting to the rule of violence, which cannot be relied upon, as even war has a law, such as the Geneva Convention and the protocols of the seventies."
The MP warned that "UNIFIL's departure from southern Lebanon at the end of this year will deprive us of the UN umbrella," calling for action to reactivate the international forces' mission "because, under the scorched earth policy, the continued presence of international forces becomes essential."
Regarding the steadfast villages in the south, specifically the besieged villages of Dibil, Ain Ebel and Rmeish, Khalaf emphasized that "the presence of the residents in these villages confirms the Lebanese identity of the land and people, and this constitutes a source of strength for all Lebanese and a guarantee for the return of our people to the villages from which they were forcibly displaced." He appealed herein for a "safe humanitarian corridor to allow for continued communication with those present there."