“We want Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory up to our internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the 1949 General Armistice Agreement and as affirmed by Resolution 1701,” said Salam. “The sovereignty to which we are committed is indivisible. It requires Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.”
Salam claimed that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah was “imposed upon” Lebanon, despite “repeated warnings of the dangers of being drawn into it.”
“No one speaks for Lebanon, and no one negotiates on its behalf except the Lebanese state through its constitutional institutions,” Nawaf emphasized.
He further reiterated his government’s push to monopolize weapons and decision-making, saying that Lebanese sovereignty “requires the extension of the authority of the Lebanese state through its own forces, over the entirety of its territory, with weapons held by the state alone.”
“A state does not regain the trust of its citizens through reform alone, but also by reclaiming its national decision-making,” he continued. “In that spirit, we did not merely affirm the principle that weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the state, and that decisions on war and peace rest solely with its constitutional institutions.”
“Such a force should ensure the continuation of monitoring, reporting and liaison functions and its role should complement the requirements for implementing the tripartite framework,” he stressed.
Turning to Iran, Salam condemned the Islamic regime for its attacks on Arab states in the region, saying that “Lebanon wishes to renew its solidarity with the states of the Arab Gulf and with Jordan in the face of Iranian attacks that threaten regional security and the freedom and safety of maritime navigation.”
Regarding Gaza and the Palestinians, he claimed that the UN’s inability to solve the issue stood in the way of regional stability, noting that recent efforts to cut funding to UNRWA do not “end the rights of Palestinian refugees.”
“On the contrary, it compounds their suffering, jeopardizes the prospects for a just and lasting solution to their cause, and increases the burden on host countries, foremost among them Lebanon,” said Salam.