Beirut Denies Deal on Hezbollah Disarmament List

A Lebanese official on Thursday denied a Reuters report claiming that Beirut and Israel had agreed on a shortlist of countries designated to send troops to Lebanon. The foreign troops were to oversee verification of the disarmament of the militant group Hezbollah.

The official said Lebanon is negotiating the matter exclusively with the United States.

The agency had previously reported that Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia were to be involved in the verification mechanism. The basis for the discussion was a June agreement brokered by Washington, which links the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the country to the disarmament of non-state groups.

However, Hezbollah has long rejected disarmament and is not a party to the agreement.

A State Department official said third-party verification of Lebanese army operations was discussed at recent talks in Rome, but that no concrete agreement had yet been reached on the selection of specific countries or the creation of a shortlist.

(Reuters, Max)