Syrian leader says ready to engage in talks with Hezbollah to save Lebanon

BEIRUT, June 21. /TASS/. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he is ready to engage in talks with Hezbollah in a bid to find a solution that will bring peace and stability to neighboring Lebanon.

“We want to resolve the Hezbollah problem to ensure Lebanon’s survival. And we are ready to sit down at the negotiating table if it brings good for all,” he said in an interview with the Al Mashhad television channel.

According to the Syrian president, Lebanon “needs a political consensus to get out of the crisis as the situation in the country will not withstand further polarization.” “We need to analyze the developments and look for a solution to ensure the security of the Shiite community in Lebanon instead of exposing it to threats,” he stressed.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Damascus’ potential role in the settlement of the conflict in Lebanon, al-Sharaa noted that the US leader did not mean any armed intervention. “He [Trump] spoke about Syria’s role in the efforts to find a safe and peaceful solution, but this statement was misinterpreted as though Syria is going to deploy troops to Lebanon tomorrow morning,” he said.

The Syria president noted that Damascus’ vision is based on “the restoration of the Lebanese state, elimination of negative consequences of the war and implementation of joitn economic, political, and social initiatives.”

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Paris on June 16, Trump said he was dissatisfied that Israel’s operation in Lebanon had dragged on and was casting a negative light on the major deal with Iran. He said that he had suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because <…> they do a better job of doing it."