A US envoy says from Beirut that the US hopes the conflict will end “as soon as possible”

MADRID 21 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States special envoy for Middle East negotiations, Amos Hochstein, has assured from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, that Washington hopes that the conflict in the region comes to an end “as soon as possible” and is working to achieve a ” ceasefire” between Israel and the Shiite militia party Hezbollah.

Hochstein explained that the commitment of both parties to resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council “is not enough” and that it is necessary to support its “total and comprehensive implementation” in order to avoid new conflicts in the region.

“The Biden Administration hopes to be able to guarantee that this is the last conflict in Lebanon for generations to come,” he said after meeting this Monday with the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, of the AMAL party, an ally of Hezbollah.

The US envoy later met with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nayib Mikati, in a meeting in which the US ambassador, Lisa Johnson, was also present, and in which both highlighted the need to end hostilities. , as reported by the Lebanese news agency NNA.

More than 1.2 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, the scene of intense Israeli attacks in recent weeks, according to a balance prepared by different UN agencies.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will begin a new diplomatic tour in the Middle East this Monday with a first stop in Israel, a trip in which he will emphasize the need to “end” the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken will also address the need for “a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that involves the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701” and that results in the return to their homes of civilians on both sides of the conflict. border, known as the Blue Line.