Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has asked Greece to help ensure the full implementation of a US-mediated agreement with Israel aimed at ending hostilities.
During a meeting with Greek President Constantine Tassoulas in Athens. Mr Aoun said: “The framework must be implemented by both sides, not selectively, but in full.”
He asked Greece to help bring about an end to Israel's occupation of south Lebanon and to the continuing conflict with the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah.
“We request Greece's assistance as much as possible to help Lebanon,” Mr Aoun said.
The request came hours after Greece signed a multibillion-dollar arms deal, the largest defence agreement between the two countries to date, under which Israel would supply Athens with the multilayered “Achilles Shield” air-defence system.
Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement in June after rounds of direct negotiations. The deal seeks an end to hostilities, the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah, the deployment of Lebanese troops in the south and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued demolishing villages inside the so-called buffer zone, which covers about 7 per cent of Lebanon. Israel's continued presence in southern Lebanon has been widely condemned by the international community as an illegal occupation.
Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, as long as Israel maintains a presence in Lebanon.
Faced with the stalemate, Beirut has sought international support to pressure Israel to uphold its commitments under the agreement.
“Solving the problem by military force will not succeed,” Mr Aoun said. “The framework agreement … cannot be implemented unilaterally. It needs to be implemented on both sides.”
He said the main goal of his trip to Athens was to strengthen bilateral relations. Lebanon, he said, viewed Greece as a friend and partner with shared interests, particularly within the EU and international organisations.
Both countries share historic Mediterranean ties, Mr Tassoulas said, as well as a commitment to international law, UN principles and peaceful solutions. “Greece stands by you in building peace and consolidating an independent Lebanon,” he said.
The arrival in Beirut two days earlier of a ship carrying Greek military aid to Lebanon was proof of the depth of bilateral relations, he added.
Israel has killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, wounded more than 12,000 and destroyed dozens of villages since March, Lebanese authorities report.
Earlier this month, Lebanon and Israel concluded a seventh round of US-mediated talks.
The next round of talks is expected to take place in September, but no set date has been made public so far.
Mr Aoun also met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his trip to Athens.
