U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson has informed Speaker Nabih Berri that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein's mediation will continue, noting that the latter's efforts "enjoy the blessing of the new U.S. administration," the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper has reported.
Johnson also told Berri, in a meeting Thursday, that what he had agreed on with Hochstein remains the "backbone" of the current U.S. proposal, which the ambassador delivered to Berri during the meeting.
Johnson, however, noted the presence of "additional formulations that the U.S. administration wants to explore Berri's stance on, without any hastiness," the newspaper added.