Rubio Praises Lebanon's Peace Efforts After Meeting President Aoun

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, commending Lebanon's commitment to peace following the latest round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations. Aoun is the first Lebanese head of state to visit the U.S. capital since Michel Sleiman in 2009 during the Obama administration. The meeting at the State Department, with President Aoun also scheduled to meet with President Trump, focused on Lebanon's "determined efforts" to restore sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and pursue peace, according to a State Department press release. Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, began U.S.-led talks in April to end their conflict. A framework agreement was reached in Washington on June 26, outlining an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of Lebanese forces in designated "pilot areas." However, the implementation hinges on the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has rejected the talks and the agreement. During the meeting, Aoun emphasized the need for alignment on implementing the pilot areas, starting with Israel's withdrawal from the first zone. U.S. officials stated that agreement on guiding principles for the pilot areas was reached after the latest talks in Rome.

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determined efforts