AFP: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday called on Greece to support efforts to implement a U.S.-sponsored framework agreement with Israel, hours after Athens and Tel Aviv announced a multibillion-dollar arms deal.
Lebanon and Israel have started face-to-face negotiations to end hostilities following the Iran-supported Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the broader Middle East conflict in March by launching attacks on Israel, which resulted in massive Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion.
Later in June, the two nations signed a framework agreement which requires the disarmament of Hezbollah, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops in the southern part of Lebanon and the introduction of the Lebanese army in the region, first in specific areas known as pilo zones.
Lebanon and the Lebanese people are fed up with wars and since the beginning of the talks with Israel, the objective was to end the hostility state, Aoun told Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas in a meeting in Athens.
The framework agreement, he said, cannot be unilaterally implemented, but must be implemented on both sides, and he urged Greece to offer Lebanon as much assistance as it can.
MoreNews: Syria to Reopen Tripoli Embassy After 14 Years
Aoun claimed that Israeli attacks since the last war had killed over 4,300 in Lebanon, injured over 12,000 and destroyed 60 to 70 villages.
Military force will not work, he said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at a joint press conference with Aoun, stated that Greece was in favor of the sovereignty, independence and unity of Lebanon and would support all initiatives to de-escalate and understand each other.
Aoun also demanded that the Lebanese army be supported by the Greeks and demanded that the Israeli troops be completely withdrawn out of Lebanon. He restated the stand of his government that the Lebanese state should have control over the entire country, citing the promise of Beirut to disarm Hezbollah.
The Lebanese president also said that he hoped that Greece would assist Lebanon in international forums, such as the United Nations, where deliberations are being made on the future role of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon is requesting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to extend its mandate that has been a buffer between Lebanon and Israel over the decades. The current mandate of the mission will expire at the end of the year and the United States and Israel are against its renewal.
Greece has always had a close relationship with the Arab nations and has also established a good military and diplomatic relationship with Israel.
The diplomatic request by Aoun was made on the same day that Greece and Israel declared a 3.5 billion agreement to sell an Israeli aerial defense system to Athens, which further underscored the fact that Greece is becoming more and more closely allied with Israel in terms of military ties.
