Rome talks focus on Lebanon detainees as negotiations with Israel make limited progress
BEIRUT: A seventh round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Rome shifted attention to the fate of Lebanese detainees and missing persons, as Beirut sought progress on one of the conflict’s most sensitive humanitarian files while broader security negotiations remained deadlocked.
The talks, held for a third consecutive day at the US Embassy in Rome under American mediation, brought together Lebanese diplomats, military officers and legal advisers to discuss military, civilian and legal issues stemming from the US-backed ceasefire framework.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun acknowledged the slow pace of the negotiations, saying that “in negotiations we do not get everything we want from the beginning,” describing the process as a long one that Lebanon must continue pursuing.
An official Lebanese source told Arab News that discussions focused on expanding the pilot security zones, consolidating Lebanese Army control in areas already transferred to the state, establishing a timetable for additional model zones, and determining who would oversee verification of weapons restrictions in those areas.
