Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri has presented Lebanon's response to the French paper concerning the resolution of the border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, according to MP Ali Hassan Khalil.

According to Khalil, the response has been given to the French embassy in Lebanon.

Khalil continued: "The response says that the implementation of Resolution 1701 and all its specifications in the gateway for a solution in the south. We dealt with the paper in a favorable manner despite certain objections that we wrote down regarding some points and terms.”

“The French paper represents a good basis for discussions and it is better than the first French proposal, seeing as it does not mention arrangements but rather a roadmap for implementing Resolution 1701,” Khalil went on to say.

“There were essential points that violate the spirit of Resolution 1701 and this is what we categorically rejected, and there are negotiable points that can be resolved,” Khalil revealed.

He however pointed out that “a ceasefire in Gaza remains the key to the solution.”

“A ceasefire in Gaza will apply to the south and we can talk about implementing 1701 if the Israelis can commit to it,” Khalil said.

He also said that “Lebanon has no problem in increasing the number of UNIFIL troops,” adding that the country has expressed reservations over “the removal of the ‘in coordination with the Lebanese Army’ clause that was mentioned in Resolution 1701.”