00:00Thank you. Today is a good day in that we're happy to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government
00:09of Lebanon and, of course, the government of Israel with a mediation and support of the United States of America
00:15that begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security.
00:18And that's what these two nations deserve. The people of Lebanon have suffered tremendously now for decades as a result
00:24of outside interference in their affairs, of countries trying to use the country as a launch pad for attacks.
00:31And this is not what the people of Lebanon want, and that's not what they deserve. What they deserve to
00:34have is what they once had, of which there is recent history of, and that is a prosperous and peaceful
00:39country, a diverse country, where people of different backgrounds were able to live and coexist side by side and in
00:45many ways was the envy of the region and of the world.
00:47And it will take a lot of work and some time to get back to that point. But we believe
00:52today is the first step in that journey. And the first step is sometimes the hardest step, but it's the
00:57one we're taking together today.
00:59Today, as I told all the parties here today, it's the beginning of the beginning. There's a lot of work
01:03ahead. We don't in any way underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead, but we understand the importance of it,
01:09how vital it is. And we are honored to have played a part in bringing this together.
01:13On behalf of President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam, we would like to thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Councilor Holler,
01:22Ambassador Issa, and the U.S. government team for hosting and facilitating these historic talks in Washington, D.C.
01:31The trilateral framework we signed today is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity,
01:40securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land, and allowing all
01:48Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity.
01:51Under his leadership, we've advanced President Trump's vision of peace and security, of peace through strength. We've advanced a historical
02:03and important process forward.
02:44Thank you for having me.
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