The Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, confirmed to "Al-Jomhouria" that "we were and still are committed to Resolution 1701 and are committed to its implementation. Israel has violated this resolution thousands of times." Berri rejected any amendments to this resolution, stating: "No one can impose conditions or new arrangements on Lebanon, and any step in this direction is unacceptable to us and we will confront it. What is required is simply to implement the resolution and nothing else."
Berri pointed out that "anyone who raises or addresses this issue with us, our response is clear and unambiguous: the international borders are known and clear. There are 13 points, some of which have been settled, and there are still other points that need to be resolved, leading to the Shebaa farms, the Kfarshouba hills, and the northern part of the village of Ghajar, in addition to point 'B1'." (It is noted that the points Berri mentioned were referenced by the American mediator Amos Hochstein a few days ago as being subject to follow-up for resolution soon.)
On another note, Berri confirmed that "despite the ongoing efforts to extend the truce in Gaza, what is needed is to be aware of the aggressive intentions Israel has, whether in Gaza or against Lebanon, which we have previously conveyed to all envoys we met, emphasizing that the danger to Lebanon and the entire region comes from Israel."
In response to a question regarding the extension of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun's term, Berri stated: "My active intervention in this file will begin as of December 1, when I will call for a legislative session before January 15, following a meeting of the Parliament Bureau. There are numerous draft laws referred by the government alongside several urgent repeated legislative proposals, including a proposal regarding a one-year extension for those at the rank of General, which will be included for deliberation in that session."
Regarding whether he feels there is a serious movement on the presidential file, Berri said: "There is no need that precedes the necessity to resolve this issue; we must elect a President of the Republic yesterday before today, and today before tomorrow. I confirmed some time ago that there is an opportunity in front of us to elect a president; so will we seize it, especially since time has become very tight to the point that it might overtake us? Therefore, delaying the presidential election is no longer permissible. But as I previously mentioned, what delays this is the maronite-marion disagreement (referring to the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement). Unfortunately, they 'resent' it when I point this out, although this is the reality of the disagreement, no more, no less. They should finalize their choices and make their decision, and let’s go to the parliament and elect a president. Otherwise, we will remain stuck in place."
