American envoy Tom Barrack said Washington treats the Lebanese government as the exclusive authority representing Lebanon in talks and negotiations.
Barrack told al-Sharq newspaper that the United States negotiates with the Lebanese government as the sole legitimate authority, emphasizing that agreements reached through diplomacy are more durable and sustainable.
His remarks carry weight given the American role in contacts between Lebanon and Israel, particularly in efforts to implement security understandings, arrange Israeli withdrawal, deploy the Lebanese army and restore state control over Lebanese territory.
On the Golan Heights, Barrack said US policy has not changed from the position President Donald Trump announced in 2019, when he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
Barrack clarified that his previous reference to the United Nations position on the Golan and Lebanon did not constitute endorsement of that position. He said his UN reference was a historical description of the matter, not an adoption of the UN stance.
