Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam received at the Grand Serail this afternoon a delegation of Beirut MPs comprising Ghassan Hasbani, Fouad Makhzoumi, Nadim Gemayel, Faisal Sayegh, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Adnan Traboulsi, Paula Yacoubian, Melhem Khalaf and Jean Talouzian.
Following the meeting, Prime Minister Salam said: The government’s decision to strictly enforce full state control over Beirut Governorate and to confine weapons there exclusively to the legitimate forces, in order to safeguard the safety, security and property of citizens, issued on the ninth of this month, is irreversible and we will strictly enforce it.
This is what I affirmed today to the Beirut MPs representing the gathering held yesterday under the slogan “Beirut Safe and Free of Weapons.”
MP Makhzoumi
MP Makhzoumi spoke after the meeting and said: Today we met with Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam, with the participation of a number of Beirut MPs who took part in the conference “Beirut Safe and Free of Weapons.”
We began by affirming our appreciation for the efforts made by President General Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Salam, which led to achieving a ceasefire as a fundamental step toward protecting Lebanon and consolidating stability. However, what we witnessed yesterday in terms of the use of weapons and rockets after the announcement of the ceasefire, and the resulting innocent casualties, was not merely a technical breach, but a painful moment that reminded the Lebanese of the heavy price they pay whenever weapons slip beyond the authority of the state.
He added: These events are not numbers in reports, but Lebanese blood that was shed, families that lost loved ones, and a city that returned to living under the specter of fear after hoping for stability. This unacceptable reality proves once again that the continued presence of weapons outside legitimate authority places Lebanon in a constant circle of danger, where the citizen pays the price for decisions in which he has neither a voice nor a role.
He announced: We briefed the Prime Minister on the key conclusions of the conference, where the emphasis was clear that Beirut’s security is a fundamental gateway to Lebanon’s stability, and that this security can only be achieved through the exclusivity of arms in the hands of the Lebanese state, making Beirut a safe city free of weapons.
We also affirmed our full support for the government, its prime minister and the executive authority, and our backing for all that would restore the prestige of the state and its institutions. We stressed the need for the full and firm implementation of government decisions, from reinforcing the exclusivity of the decisions of war and peace, and all other decisions related to Hezbollah, including confining weapons to the legitimate forces alone, and strengthening the deployment of the Lebanese Army and security forces inside the capital as quickly as possible, in a way that ensures the imposition of security, prevents any armed displays, and safeguards citizens’ safety.
He concluded: Beirut must remain a safe, stable city, free of weapons, and this is a national responsibility shared by all that does not tolerate hesitation.
MP Mneimneh
MP Mneimneh in turn said: “We met today with Prime Minister Salam, and the meeting was positive. We briefed him on yesterday’s conference under the title ‘Beirut Safe and Free of Weapons.’
Today we reiterated our supportive position toward the government, the prime minister and the president of the republic, and toward the historic decisions that were taken, which aim to build political support and a political incubator for these decisions.
He added: After the ceasefire, it has become more appropriate for this city to be a priority within the plan to confine weapons to the state, especially after the scenes of heavy gunfire yesterday that claimed the lives of two people, which was very painful for the Lebanese.
We reiterate that prioritizing the confinement of weapons in Beirut is of the highest importance, so that it may serve as a model of a city under the law and a model of serious conduct in cooperation with the government in the context of the decisions taken in this regard.
He said: The Prime Minister stressed that the government is taking this issue seriously, and that perhaps the matter is now ripe for implementation. He repeated that there is seriousness in dealing with it, and that the army and security forces are seriously following up on security-preservation operations, setting up checkpoints, and ensuring the implementation of this decision, which will be carried out gradually.
We know that the task will not be easy, but the Prime Minister affirmed that the government is moving with steady steps toward this goal, and we as MPs will continue our oversight and follow up on the government’s serious measures.
MP Traboulsi
MP Traboulsi in turn announced the Prime Minister’s positive response to the demands of Beirut MPs, including granting compensation for what happened in Beirut, especially in Tallet el-Khayat and Corniche al-Mazraa, where massacres occurred that led to major losses.
We asked him to expedite compensation for the residents, and he gave instructions to the Higher Relief Commission to speed up the payment of compensation to those affected. We also stressed the need to intensify monitoring by the security agencies to preserve security in the capital. The Prime Minister gave us positive assurances and informed us that he would follow up on these issues with full seriousness.
