Mikati: Lebanon to deploy army south of Litani River after ceasefire

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday the government will, in coordination with the UN Peacekeeping Force (UNIFIL), deploy the Lebanese army south of the Litani River under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after a ceasefire in the Israeli war. "We reiterate the position we announced in New York that we will abide by a call issued by the United States, France, the European Union, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Germany, Australia, Canada and Italy," Mikati said after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. "We, as a government, after contacts with Speaker Berri, reaffirm our commitment to implementing all the points contained in the appeal issued by these countries, including an immediate ceasefire in order to begin discussing implementation of Resolution 1701," he added. He said Berri will summon the House of Representatives to convene after the ceasefire to elect by consensus a president for the republic of Lebanon and form a new government. Source: Jordan News Agency