Lebanon’s Aoun says no new negotiations with Israel at present

BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Saturday there are “no new negotiations with Israel at present,” reaffirming Lebanon’s demands for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced people, and reconstruction.“There are no new negotiations with Israel at present,” Aoun told reporters during a visit to the southern city of Nabatieh, accompanied by army commander Rodolphe Haykal and the heads of Lebanon’s security agencies.“The withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced people, and reconstruction are national principles that we pledge to implement,” he said, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.His comments came after a US official told Axios on Friday that the next round of Israeli-Lebanese talks, which had been scheduled to take place in Rome next week, had been postponed.Instead, the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors are expected to meet at the US State Department in Washington to discuss developments and the continued implementation of the June framework agreement, the official said.The next round of formal negotiations is expected to take place in Rome in October.Direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began with a US-sponsored meeting in Washington on April 14. Subsequent rounds have addressed a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, border issues, and prisoners and missing persons.The two sides signed a US-sponsored framework agreement in Washington on June 26 providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army in areas vacated by Israeli forces.During his tour of Nabatieh, Aoun inspected the government complex, which sustained extensive damage in Israeli airstrikes, as well as the Lebanese central bank building, which was destroyed in the bombardment.He also visited Nabatieh Hospital and praised its staff for continuing to operate under difficult conditions.Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed nearly 4,400 people and injured about 12,500 others since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, including territory it has held for decades and other positions seized during recent wars and military operations.