PM Salam: Negotiations are not a concession of Lebanon’s rights, but a means to restore them through diplomacy

 Speaking during a general parliamentary debate, Salam said the 2023-2024 war cost around $14 billion, including $7.2 billion in physical damage and $6.8 billion in economic losses. He estimated the latest war’s direct cost at $3 billion to $4 billion, with another $4 billion to $5 billion in economic losses.

Salam said the combined cost could exceed $27 billion, while the two wars have left around 9,000 people dead and more than 30,000 injured. More than 250,000 Lebanese remain displaced, and residents of over 75 villages and towns are still unable to return due to Israeli occupation.

Lebanon’s economy is expected to contract 6.4% this year, after growing 4.2% last year, amid higher inflation and oil prices, falling remittances and a halt in tourism activity.

Salam said the government is shifting from managing displacement to recovery and reconstruction, including clearing rubble, reopening roads and restoring basic services. He stressed that Lebanon needs significant international and Arab financing, saying reconstruction requires confidence in a capable state.

He called for completing financial and banking reforms, including Parliament’s examination of the financial gap law, and reiterated the importance of reaching an agreement with the IMF.

Salam also highlighted reforms in the electricity sector and projects involving the Arab Gas Pipeline, Beirut and Tripoli ports, Qlayaat airport, the railway and the special economic zone.

On security, Salam stressed that lasting stability requires state authority across Lebanon, restricting weapons to the state and placing decisions of war and peace exclusively in state hands.

He said Lebanon’s goals remain ending the war, securing a full Israeli withdrawal, releasing prisoners and allowing residents to return home. He added that President Joseph Aoun is leading negotiations with Israel under U.S. auspices, stressing that only the Lebanese state can negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf.

Salam said the trilateral framework provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese army deployment, adding that negotiations are a diplomatic means of restoring Lebanon’s rights.