Rome talks begin today with little hope of progress

A new round of talks begins today in Rome over three days, with little hope of achieving the required progress on the ground, amid Israeli insistence on holding discussions merely to score points on the Lebanese side and satisfy the Americans. According to diplomatic sources, without Washington’s pressure to hold this round, the Israelis would not have been eager to convene it, and they are working to buy time, or in other words waste it, until the end of autumn, awaiting the results of the Israeli elections.