The Israel-Lebanon framework is not workable in its current form and cannot become a binding agreement without approval from the Lebanese government, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri has told Middle East Eye.
Mitri drew the distinction between the president's constitutional role in negotiating on behalf of Lebanon and the Council of Ministers' role in approving any final agreement, describing the framework as the beginning of a process.
Under Lebanon's constitution, he said, the president has the right to negotiate, but any proposed agreement must be brought before the cabinet. That, he said, had not happened yet, meaning the framework was not a legally binding document approved by the government.
"The word agreement is nowhere to be seen in this text," he said, speaking to MEE in an interview in his office in Beirut.
The US-brokered framework, which seeks to lay out a path towards ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, was signed by Lebanon and Israel in Washington on 26 June. It has since triggered widespread opposition in Lebanon, raising questions over sovereignty, accountability and provisions that place Lebanese obligations ahead of Israeli commitments.
