Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made a rare direct appeal to the Israeli government and its people to come to the negotiating table to end the war, warning in the second part of a CNN interview aired Monday that a military solution "will never provide you with security and safety."
"We are ready, we are willing, we are committed. Are you? If you are, let's sit and talk," said Aoun.
The Lebanese government is in direct talks with Israel, mediated by Washington, to reach a full cessation of hostilities, despite opposition by armed group Hezbollah, which is fighting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Aoun said he would not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before reaching an agreement to end the war. He said any deal would be a non-aggression pact and not a full peace deal.
"We need to end the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel. Forever. And this (pact) could be a path forward for a just and lasting peace," Aoun said.
Aoun said Lebanon would move in line with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers normalisation with Israel across the Arab world in exchange for Palestinian statehood and Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories.
"But we cannot jump from A to B directly. We have to go through different steps," Aoun said.
Aoun also told CNN that Lebanon sought a good relationship with Iran based on mutual respect and non-interference, and said Lebanon's people were being killed to serve Iran's interests.
