Berri: Trump understands me better than some Lebanese

Speaker Nabih Berri has stressed that what matters now, after the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Joseph Aoun in Washington, are “the results on the ground, not just the form of the agreement.”

“The real test after this meeting is the consolidation of the ceasefire and the withdrawals, which have not yet happened,” Berri told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. He pointed out that “the withdrawal carried out from the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh on Monday hardly counts as a withdrawal, seeing as the town is very small and was not fully occupied.”

“Furthermore, the criminal demolitions targeting homes, civilian neighborhoods, and infrastructure continue, as do the attacks on residents on the outskirts of the occupied villages,” Berri noted.

He added that he believes that the success of this summit hinges on achieving these steps. “I had previously said, ‘Achieve results and prove me wrong,’ which has not yet happened,” Berri went on to say.

Asked about his feedback on Trump’s remarks that the Speaker would support the framework agreement process once he sees progress on the ground, Berri responded with a laugh and said: “It seems that President Trump understands me better than some Lebanese.”

Trump had on Tuesday expressed confidence that Berri would eventually back the agreement once progress becomes clear.

"I think when he sees, because I've heard that he's a good person, good man, and when he sees the progress made, I'm sure he's going to come on," Trump said.

Aoun for his part said that Berri wants to see the war end, noting that the speaker is from southern Lebanon and has long worked to rebuild the region where the ongoing Israeli ground invasion and massive aerial bombardment have killed around 4,000 people.

"He actually is supportive of what we are doing, but we need to be careful. His position as a Speaker and as a leader of the Shia community, we have to understand how critical is his position," Aoun emphasized.

"I can tell you that Speaker Berri is a man of state. He is supportive of what we are doing, and he is supportive of ending the state of hostility, ending the war once for all," Aoun added.