BEIRUT: Lebanese negotiators are set to meet their Israeli counterparts in Rome on Tuesday for a sixth round of direct, US-brokered talks, with the session scheduled to run over two days.
The meeting builds on the framework agreement both countries signed in Washington, D.C., on June 26.
Under the agreement, implementation will begin on a first pilot zone in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces will gradually withdraw and the Lebanese Army will assume control under a US-monitored mechanism coordinated with the army command in Beirut.
Representing Lebanon in Rome will be Nada Moawad, the country’s ambassador to Washington; former ambassador Simon Karam; and Brig. Gen. Ziad Haykal, who joins the delegation as an adviser to President Joseph Aoun.
An official source close to the negotiations said the US State Department intends to monitor the talks in detail, and that the venue could revert to Washington if the discussions run into disagreements.
