Another round of U.S.-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel will be held in Rome in early September, a U.S. Department of State official told the Al Jazeera television channel.
He described the consultations as proceeding positively, with no one delaying the implementation of the agreement.
According to the official, the sides are facing political restrictions and internal pressure Washington is trying to settle. He also said that Hezbollah is seeking to derail the negotiating process. Apart from that, in his words, the group on military coordination will continue work on the establishment of the first pilot zones.
The Al Mayadeen TV channel reported earlier that the next round of consultations will not be held earlier than this fall, with no direct contacts between the sides maintained at the moment. Following the seventh round of talks in Rome on August 4-6, the U.S. and Israeli sides rejected Lebanon’s proposal to extend the pilot zone before any progress is reached in the two areas that have already been agreed upon.
