US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Washington on Monday as the US tries to advance a peace deal between Beirut and Israel. Negotiations on the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework that was initially agreed to in June have slowed amid continuing Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon, despite a supposed ceasefire. Meanwhile, Lebanon has failed to disarm Hezbollah, which was a key part of the deal.After the meeting, Mr Salam said in a statement that he looked forward to a “renewed partnership” with the US, which "aligns with the project of rebuilding the state and strengthening its legitimate institutions".He said he also urged the US to activate the trilateral framework through a reciprocal, gradual process, with a clear timetable and credible verification. Implementing the deal should proceed along with Israeli withdrawal and the extension of Lebanese state authority, he added. The US State Department did not immediately provide a report of the meeting.A central dispute over implementing the Israel-Lebanon framework is the order in which things should happen. Lebanon first wants to see an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed first, leading to a stalemate in talks. Hanin Ghaddar, the Friedmann senior fellow in The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Programme on Arab Politics, said the agreement is clear on w...
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