U.S. Senator Speculates about an Israel-Lebanon Deal in 2009
An anonymous U.S. Senator has spoken to the press, stating that he believes that Israel and Lebanon could reach an non-belligerence agreement in the first half of 2009, reports the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyasa. In the interview, the Senator stated that US president-elect Barack Obama and his new administration would aim to broker a deal between the two sides by as early as February-May 2009.
The Senator, who is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, expressed high hopes of the deal happening, especially after receiving, ” encouraging reports from Israel.” He also went on to state that he hopes that the negotiations would conclude after the Israeli parliamentary elections in February and before the Lebanese elections in May. This is because the non-belligerence agreement would have to be signed by May before the Lebanese elections, otherwise Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies could win the election and botch all hopes for an agreement. The three-month ‘window of opportunity’ between February and May 2009 provides politicians with an opportunity to end 60 years of violence and hostility between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel already announced on Monday that it was considering signing a long term non-belligerence agreement with Lebanon, but that is contingent on Lebanon coming to a peace agreement with Syria first.
Venus Vahedi
