Lebanese clarification on occupied town of Arnoun

Lebanese governmental sources on Tuesday commented on the statements of the April Understanding Monitoring Committee on the issue of Arnoun that it is "in the interest of all sides to seek a solution to the issue of Arnoun and that, to this end, the issue should be further examined on an urgent basis, both by the parties and in bilateral channels."

The governmental sources said these bilateral contacts will be made by the French and US representatives together with other committee members to take concrete steps, which the monitoring group said "would allow a return to the situation in Arnoun prior to April 15, ensure respect for the provisions of the Understanding concerning the non-use of civilian areas as launching sites for military activities, and reduce sources of tension."

The Lebanese governmental sources explained that the formula reached by the committee shows that the question of Arnoun is still the responsibility of the committee members and that its debate is still open through contacts made by those members.

The Lebanese governmental sources stressed Lebanon's determination to exert all possible efforts to eliminate the occupation of Arnoun as well as to expel the Israeli occupation forces from all Lebanese territories according to UN resolution 425.