President Joseph Aoun received Admiral Edward Algren, the British government’s senior defense advisor for the Middle East:
- Lebanon welcomes any alternative forces to replace the “UNIFIL” forces, should extending their mandate prove impossible, to continue implementing Resolution 1701 and supporting the Lebanese Army in extending the state’s authority over the southern territories up to the internationally recognized borders.
- Failure to extend “UNIFIL” and the absence of an alternative international force would create a vacuum that does not serve the security and stability of the region, especially if the Israeli occupation of the southern villages and towns continues, as is the case now.
- Israel is refraining from implementing the “Framework Agreement” reached during the Lebanese–American–Israeli negotiations in Washington, and thus is not committed to the ceasefire, refraining from destroying and bulldozing homes, correcting the disputed points on the “Blue Line,” and returning Lebanese prisoners to their homeland.
Admiral Algren renewed Britain’s support for Lebanon in all fields, especially for the army, noting the official Lebanese positions on recent developments, particularly those announced by President Aoun during his visit to the Nabatieh region, where he directly witnessed the damage inflicted on the villages and towns, and reaffirmed to the residents the Lebanese state’s determination to extend its sovereignty over the entire southern borders and remove all armed manifestations from the villages where the army is deployed.
: Lebanese Presidency