Lebanon placed its principles on the United Nations platform, where Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed his country’s adherence to sovereignty that “requires Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories,” and also includes “extending the authority of the Lebanese state, by its own forces, over its entire territory, and confining weapons to its hands alone.”
Salam said in a speech he delivered at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly: “No one speaks on behalf of Lebanon, and no one negotiates on its behalf, except the Lebanese state through its constitutional institutions,” adding: “It is true that Lebanon is affected by what is happening in its surroundings, but that does not mean that we accept that it will return to being an arena for the conflicts of others, or a negotiating card in their hands.” He stressed that “Lebanon’s future cannot be decided on its behalf, and its security and stability should not be the price for settlements concluded in its absence.”
Salam touched on the “framework agreement” with Israel under American sponsorship, and said: “The success of any agreement is not measured by declared intentions, but rather by the implementation of commitments.” Therefore, what is required today is to complete the translation of this framework into practical steps within a clear timetable and a verification mechanism that guarantees the implementation of all its provisions.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed his country’s adherence to sovereignty that “requires Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories,” and “requires the extension of the authority of the Lebanese state, by its own forces, over its entire territory, and confining weapons to its sole hand,” stressing that “no one speaks on behalf of Lebanon, and no one negotiates on its behalf,” and “its security and stability should not be the price for settlements made in its absence.”
3 challenges
Salam said in a speech he delivered during the general debate of the eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly: “We have assumed responsibility and our country faces three crucial challenges: to regain the confidence of its people after the financial collapse and the Beirut port explosion and the tragedies and wounds they left behind, and to restore its national decision, so that there is no authority above the authority of the state, no weapons outside its armed forces, and no decision for war and peace outside its constitutional institutions.”
He stressed the need “to regain all of its land from the Israeli occupation, and to extend its sovereignty over its entire national territory by its own forces in implementation of the Taif Agreement, and in sincere respect for international resolutions related to Lebanon, perhaps the most important of which is Resolution 1701, which remains to this day a basic reference regulating the relationship between Lebanon and Israel.” Salam summarized the equation for Lebanon’s advancement by saying: “Confidence is built, decisions are restored, and land is liberated.”
No one is negotiating for Lebanon
Salam stressed before the United Nations General Assembly that “no one speaks on behalf of Lebanon, and no one negotiates on its behalf, except the Lebanese state through its constitutional institutions,” adding: “It is true that Lebanon is affected by what is happening in its surroundings, but that does not mean that we accept that it will return to being an arena for the conflicts of others, or a negotiating card in their hands.” He stressed that “Lebanon’s future cannot be decided on its behalf, and its security and stability should not be the price for settlements concluded in its absence.”
The Lebanese Prime Minister touched on his country’s position on the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, saying: “Our position on the war was clear from the beginning. We want to stop it, and we want to establish a ceasefire, and Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territory up to our recognized international borders, in accordance with the Armistice Agreement of 1949, as reaffirmed by Resolution 1701,” adding: “We want the release of all our prisoners, a safe and dignified return of our people to their villages and towns, and the return of... Reconstructing what was destroyed by war.”
Upholding sovereignty
Salam said: “The sovereignty that we adhere to is indivisible, as it requires Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territories. It also requires extending the authority of the Lebanese state, by its own forces, over all of its territory, and confining weapons to its sole hand. On these two principles, and on the principles of reciprocity and interim, the tripartite framework that was reached in the negotiations is based,” referring to the tripartite “framework agreement” between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship.
Salam said: “The success of any agreement is not measured by declared intentions, but rather by the implementation of commitments. Therefore, what is required today is to complete the translation of this framework into practical steps, within a clear timetable and a verification mechanism that guarantees the implementation of all its provisions.”
Salam stressed “the necessity of working to avoid the vacuum that the withdrawal of UNIFIL forces might create if it took place without agreeing on a new international force to replace them, ensure the continuation of monitoring, reporting and communication tasks, and complement its role with the requirements of implementing the tripartite framework.”
He said: “Reclaiming the land does not only mean the withdrawal of the occupation forces from it, but it also means the return of its people to it, and the return of life to their villages and towns.”
Reform and reconstruction
Thanking the United Nations agencies and international partners for their humanitarian contributions, he called for “continuing to provide the necessary funding to meet the basic needs of those affected, especially the displaced, in parallel with the requirements of early recovery, reconstruction and development.”
He stressed that “reconstructing the south is not just a process of rebuilding stone; “It is rebuilding people’s lives, restoring their livelihoods, and establishing their right to live in safety and dignity on their land.”
Salam said, “The Lebanon that stands before you today does not shirk its responsibilities, nor does it ask others to do what it must do.” He explained: “We bear our responsibility for reform and extending state authority over our entire territory. But we have the right to ask the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in ensuring respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and implementing the resolutions of international legitimacy.”
