Blinken refrains from calling for ceasefire after Mikati meeting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed on Friday that there is a “real sense of urgency” in getting to a diplomatic resolution to end the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

Blinken expressed after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London: “We have a sense of real urgency in getting to a diplomatic resolution and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, such that there can be real security along the border between Israel and Lebanon.”

He stressed: “Right now, we’re working intensely to reach a diplomatic resolution, one that sees the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

UN Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, stipulating the deployment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and limiting the military presence in the border area to the Lebanese army and the international force.

Blinken called for the protection of civilians without explicitly calling for a ceasefire, noting that they want to ensure that in places like Beirut, there is a real effort to ensure that people are safe and not caught in the crossfire.

Mikati did not make any press statements after the meeting.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who also met Blinken separately in London, said the Lebanese government had clarified that it was committed to implementing Resolution 1701, urging: “The aggression on Lebanon has to stop immediately.”

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