JAKARTA - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country was "far from" diplomatic normalization or economic relations with Israel, despite steps towards direct negotiations between the two countries aimed at easing tensions.
As reported by the Associated Press, Thursday, December 4, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's statement to reporters in Beirut contradicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that Israel would send envoys to negotiate with Lebanese diplomatic and economic officials.
Netanyahu called this "an initial attempt to create a basis for economic relations and cooperation" between the two countries.
Lebanon and Israel both announced the appointment of civilian members on the committee that previously only previously consisted of the military to monitor US-brokered ceasefire enforcement that halted the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, a year ago.
Civilian members Simon Karam, a lawyer and former Lebanese ambassador to the US, and Uri Resnick, deputy director of foreign policy at Israel's National Security Council took part in the meeting of the mechanism on Wednesday.
Together with Israel and Lebanon, the committee includes representatives of the US, French, and UN peacekeeping forces known as UNIFIL.
Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations and have officially been at war since 1948. The move to hold civilian negotiations appears to be a step towards direct bilateral negotiations between Israel and Lebanon driven by Washington.
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However, Salam said Lebanon is still committed to the 2002 Arab peace plan requiring the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel with the creation of a Palestinian state a prospect strongly opposed by the Netanyahu government.
"Economic relations will be part of the normalization, so it's clear that anyone who follows this news will know that we weren't there at all," said Salam.
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