BEIRUT, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pledged that the Lebanese state would assume its responsibilities in implementing the U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump late Saturday, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.
Aoun also expressed hope that the United States would help prevent violations of the agreement and ensure that all commitments reached under the deal are fulfilled, particularly by pressing Israel to withdraw from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon to facilitate the deployment of the Lebanese army up to the internationally recognized border.
Trump reaffirmed Washington's support for Lebanon and its people, pledging to work toward implementing the deal and restoring security and stability in the country.
The U.S. president said Washington would support Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the extension of state authority through its armed forces across the country's entire territory.
At the end of the call, Trump said he looked forward to meeting Aoun in Washington in the near future.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Israel and Lebanon had reached a framework agreement for "lasting peace and security."
The agreement, signed at the end of the latest round of ambassador-level talks in Washington, D.C., called again for the implementation of a fragile ceasefire between the two nations. ■
