Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday rejected US efforts to swiftly disarm the Hezbollah terrorist organization, calling instead for a "calm and consensual dialogue" to determine the fate of the group's weapons.
His remarks, as quoted by The Associated Press, came during a speech commemorating the disappearance of Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr, and follow mounting pressure from Washington and Beirut's leadership to strip Hezbollah of its arsenal.
Berri, a longtime ally of Hezbollah and key negotiator in the ceasefire that ended last November's war with Israel, said, "We are open to discussing the fate of these weapons, which we Lebanese see as honorable, within the framework of a calm and consensual dialogue."
He added that such an approach aligns with the policies of President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
Lebanon's cabinet recently tasked the army with formulating a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of 2025.
The decision followed mounting US pressure and forms part of the framework set out in a November ceasefire agreement aimed at halting over a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, which included two months of intense warfare.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the terror organization and vowed that Hezbollah would keep its arms.
Berri warned that the current US proposal "goes beyond the principle of restricting weapons," and criticized Israel's continued airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.