Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says Lebanon wants to reach a security agreement with Israel after Israel withdraws troops from southern Lebanon. Speaking to AFP ahead of his trip to France, Aoun links the border security arrangement to preventing instability once UN peacekeepers leave when their mandate ends at the end of the year.
Aoun also says he is determined to disarm Hezbollah without resorting to confrontation. He calls for the establishment of a new force, potentially European or otherwise, to fill any security vacuum and says Lebanon needs external support as its forces redeploy across the south. The Free Malaysia Today outlet reports that Aoun presents the Israel security agreement as a necessary precondition to any subsequent discussion of peace, while the Vancouver Sun notes his appeal to the United States, the European Union and Arab countries for backing.
