Morgan Ortagus, the Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Beirut by the end of next week. She will carry a wide-ranging set of proposals aimed at addressing several of Lebanon’s most pressing and controversial issues, according to a report by al-Jadeed television.
Among the key elements of the US initiative are calls for exclusive state control over Hezbollah’s weapons and Palestinian camps, along with proposals tied to national reforms, border demarcation and post-crisis reconstruction efforts.
Al-Jadeed notes that the proposals will be presented with what it described as a “high ceiling of demands,” and will include a specific timeframe for implementation. Failure to comply with the agreed-upon measures could result in consequences for the Lebanese state, the report warns.
Topping the US agenda are the thorny issues of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, with the American delegation expected to push for tangible progress on these fronts. Ortagus’s proposals are also said to broach the possibility for Lebanon to follow Syria in normalizing ties with Israel through peace agreements.
In parallel, Washington reportedly continues to oppose the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate, and is considering replacing it with a newly structured force aligned with the Armistice Monitoring Committee’s framework.
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