PM Salam to Palestinian President: Commitment to sovereignty, disarmament, and two-state solution

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Grand Serail in Beirut for a bilateral meeting followed by a high-level security discussion.

The talks included key Lebanese officials such as Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee Chairman Ambassador Ramez Dimashkieh, General Security Director General Maj. Gen. Hassan Choucair, Army Intelligence Director Brig. Gen. Tony Kahwaji, and advisor Ali Karanouh. 

The Palestinian delegation featured senior figures from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), including Secretary-General of the Executive Committee Azzam al-Ahmad, Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour, Executive Committee Member Ahmad Majdalani, advisor to Abbas, Majdi Khaled, U.N. Ambassador Dr. Riad Mansour, and senior Fatah and PLO officials in Lebanon.

The discussions focused on ongoing efforts to enhance stability and security in Lebanon, particularly within the Palestinian refugee camps. Both leaders reiterated that Palestinians in Lebanon are considered guests who fully respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and categorically reject permanent resettlement, reaffirming their commitment to the right of return.

The meeting emphasized Lebanon's sovereign right to enforce its authority over all its territory, including refugee camps, and agreed on a full closure of the file on Palestinian arms outside and inside the camps. A joint executive committee will be formed to oversee the implementation of these commitments.

The leaders also stressed the importance of improving the humanitarian conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon without undermining Lebanese sovereignty. They called for an end to the Israeli war on Gaza, the prevention of any forced displacement of Palestinians, the guarantee of humanitarian aid access, and the eventual reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under the authority of the Palestinian government.

Prime Minister Salam and President Abbas renewed their support for a two-state solution based on relevant international resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative launched by Saudi Arabia at the Beirut Summit, aiming to establish a Palestinian state on all Palestinian territories.