"The United States has floated a proposal for an economic zone in southern Lebanon in what analysts tell Al Jazeera is a far-fetched and poorly thought-out plan to incentivise the Lebanese government to push on with disarming Hezbollah. The US envoy to the Middle East, Thomas Barrack, floated the economic zone during a visit to Lebanon on Tuesday but provided few details other than hints at financing."
"Experts said the idea could be based on similar zones in Jordan and Egypt, two countries with peace deals with Israel that Lebanon would be hard-pressed to replicate after last year's Israeli war on Lebanon. After the war, fought primarily against Hezbollah, a regional and domestic push to disarm the Lebanese group has grown, and the relatively new Lebanese government, which took office in January and is under US and Israeli pressure, has declared the intention to disarm the group."
The United States proposed creating an economic zone in southern Lebanon to incentivize the Lebanese government to pursue disarmament of Hezbollah. US envoy Thomas Barrack mentioned the idea during a Lebanon visit and hinted at Gulf, US and Lebanese financing without providing detailed plans. Analysts characterize the proposal as far-fetched and poorly planned, and locals reportedly distrust Israel and the United States to control such a zone. The concept draws comparisons to Jordanian and Egyptian zones tied to peace deals with Israel, arrangements Lebanon is unlikely to replicate after the recent Israeli-Hezbollah war. The war weakened Hezbollah militarily and politically and increased regional pressure to disarm.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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