Lebanese Prime Minister: Preliminary Washington meetings and comprehensive solution negotiations have not yet begun policy

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that the negotiating process related to the comprehensive solution has not yet been launched in its official form, indicating that the current meetings taking place in Washington are nothing more than a preparation for the foundations of negotiation.

He explained – in statements during a joint press conference with the Minister of Interior and Municipalities – that the consultations currently taking place with Washington come within a preliminary framework, to plan a new round of negotiations or an expected official visit to the American capital, aiming to extract international guarantees to protect Lebanon and ensure full commitment to stopping hostilities.
Washington recently witnessed the first direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in nearly five decades, headed by the two countries’ ambassadors to the United States of America, amid pledges from US President Donald Trump that the senior leadership of both countries would chair these negotiations at a later date.

In a related matter, the Prime Minister explained that the ceasefire agreement had actually entered into force, but he added: “The ceasefire has taken place, but we are still witnessing gaps in implementation, as the agreement has not been fully and comprehensively implemented until now.”

Salam stressed the principles of the Lebanese state in extending its full sovereignty, stressing that “no one is above the law” at the current stage.

Salam said that the government is closely monitoring the recorded violations, stressing at the same time the pivotal role of the military institution in securing the borders and southern regions.

Salam added that the Lebanese Army units succeeded in “imposing themselves in new locations” in the area south of the Litani River, within the framework of a broad deployment plan to strengthen national sovereignty and implement relevant international resolutions.

Regarding the political and security vision for the next stage, Salam blocked the way for any interpretations related to the state’s authority, stressing the principles of the Lebanese government, which are adherence to sovereignty, and that there is no retreat from the decision to limit weapons in the hands of the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, given that the state is the only body responsible for protecting citizens and managing defense affairs.