Washington suggests indirect Lebanese negotiations with Israel over Shebaa

An official US source told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar that Washington is holding to its initiative to place the Lebanese Shebaa Farms under UN supervision, a move that is supported by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But the source noted that the US has temporarily suspended taking action on its initiative because of its disgust at the Lebanese people’s reception last week of the prisoners released from Israel, especially Samir Kantar. The source added that the initiative’s success depends on the Lebanese government’s decision. The sources said that Lebanon’s pretexts for rejecting negotiations with Israel, even indirect negotiations, are no longer valid after Syria held talks with the Jewish state under Turkish mediation, and Hezbollah organized the prisoner swap with UN-sponsored German mediation. “How can... [read full story]