Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that upcoming talks with Israel are “separate from any other negotiations,” in what appeared to be a reference to broader regional diplomacy, including U.S.–Iran discussions, adding that Lebanon has chosen the path of negotiation in an effort to “save the country.”

During a meeting at the Baabda Palace with a delegation from the “Sovereignty Front,” Aoun confirmed that Lebanon would conduct the talks through a delegation headed by former ambassador to Washington Simon Karam. He stressed that “no external party will represent Lebanon in this mission or take its place,” framing the process as an exclusively Lebanese responsibility.

He said the objective of the negotiations is to “bring an end to hostilities, end the Israeli presence in southern Lebanese areas, and allow the Lebanese army to deploy up to the internationally recognized southern border.”

According to remarks relayed by his office, Aoun also said he had briefed U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on Thursday on developments on the ground following Israeli strikes that hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

He said Trump expressed what he described as “full understanding and readiness to engage,” and that the U.S. president had intervened with Israel to help secure a ceasefire and prepare the launch of a negotiation process aimed at ending what Aoun called an “abnormal situation,” while restoring full Lebanese State authority and sovereignty over all its territory, particularly in the south.

Aoun added that contacts would continue with President Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to preserve the ceasefire and advance the negotiating track, stressing that any progress would require broad domestic backing to enable Lebanon’s delegation to pursue its objectives effectively.

“The upcoming negotiations are separate from any other negotiations,” Aoun said. “Lebanon is faced with two options: either continued war, with all its humanitarian, social, economic, and sovereignty-related consequences, or negotiations to end this war and achieve sustainable stability. I have chosen negotiation, and I remain hopeful that we can save Lebanon.”