Lebanese PM meets US congressional delegation, reaffirms state monopoly on arms

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a U.S. congressional delegation at the Grand Serail on Tuesday, where discussions focused on Lebanon’s internal reforms, security, and regional developments.

The delegation included Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham, Congressman John Wilson, U.S. envoy Ambassador Thomas Barrack, and Morgan Ortagus, senior adviser to the U.S. mission to the United Nations. U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson and accompanying officials were also present.

During the talks, the delegation praised the Lebanese government’s recent decisions affirming the state’s exclusive authority over weapons, as well as financial and banking reforms that have been passed in recent weeks. The lawmakers stressed the importance of continuing these reforms for the benefit of all Lebanese.

Salam underscored that the government’s course toward ensuring the state’s sole authority over arms and its exclusive control of decisions on war and peace is irreversible. He noted that on August 5, the Cabinet mandated the Lebanese Army to prepare a comprehensive plan to enforce the weapons monopoly before the end of the year, with the plan to be presented next week.

He added that this approach, enshrined in the Taif Accord decades ago, is a national necessity that Lebanon has long delayed, costing the country critical opportunities in the past.

The prime minister also reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to the framework presented by Ambassador Barrack, which was revised in coordination with Lebanese officials and approved by the Cabinet on August 7. He emphasized that the framework, based on synchronized steps, guarantees Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and an end to all hostilities.