Lebanon Must Regain National Decision-Making, PM Salam Tells UN

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam used his address to the United Nations General Assembly to press for Beirut to reclaim full authority over decisions of war and peace, insisting that no armed force should operate outside the state's control.

Speaking in Arabic from the podium, Salam said Lebanon must "regain its national decision-making, so that there is no authority above the authority of the state, no weapons outside its armed forces, and no decision of war and peace outside its constitutional institutions."

His remarks come as his government has been pushing to disarm Hezbollah, a sensitive file that has divided Lebanese politics. Salam also drew a line on negotiations, stating that Beirut alone would conduct talks, a reference to Iran's efforts to fold the war in Lebanon into its own negotiations with Washington — a position Hezbollah has backed, while Beirut has pursued separate talks with Israel.

On Israel, Salam called for a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory and for the state to extend its sovereignty across the entire country. He cited the Taif Agreement and international resolutions on Lebanon, describing Resolution 1901 as a fundamental reference governing relations between Lebanon and Israel.

The prime minister also warned against allowing a security vacuum once the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon withdraws. He said he would follow the matter closely, stressing that the pullout should not proceed without agreement on a new international force to take its place.

Such a force, he said, should continue monitoring, reporting and liaison duties and complement the requirements for implementing the tripartite framework.

Salam's address places Lebanon's sovereignty, the status of its armed forces and the future of international monitoring in the south at the centre of its diplomacy at the world body.