Civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel joined a session of the US-chaired ceasefire monitoring committee in Naqoura, marking the first direct talks between the two countries in more than four decades.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that Beirut is prepared to engage in negotiations extending beyond security matters, but underlined these are not peace talks and “normalisation is tied to a peace process”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listSalam said these negotiations are aimed solely at “the cessation of hostilities”, the “release of Lebanese hostages”, and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanese territory.Salam said Lebanon remained committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative – which offers a full normalisation of relations with Israel in return for its complete withdrawal from territory it occupied in 1967 – and has no intention of concluding a separate peace deal with Israel.The participation of civilian envoys could help “defuse tensions”, he said, noting deadly Israeli air strikes recently are a clear sign of rising escalation.The committee convened for about three hours along the Blue Line – the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.A statement issued afterwards welcomed the addition of civilian envoys as an “important step” toward anchoring the process in “lasting civilian as well as military dialogue”, and said the committee hoped to “nurture peace” along the long-volatile border.‘Renewed escalation’The United States has for months urged both sides to broaden the scope of the committee beyond just overseeing the 20 …
