Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received in his office at the Government Palace this afternoon, former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, where the meeting discussed the political and security developments taking place in the Lebanese and regional arena.
After the meeting, Siniora delivered a statement on behalf of the former prime ministers, in which he pointed out that the meeting was devoted to reviewing the dangers threatening Lebanon and the Arab region at all levels.
Siniora stated that those present stressed their “condemnation and denunciation of the escalation of the Israeli aggression, which has reached an unprecedented level, including committing humanitarian war crimes against the Lebanese in general and the people of the south and the southern suburb of Beirut in particular, including killing, displacement, and forced displacement from their lands and homes, and the destruction of their livelihoods and property.”
They also announced their denunciation of “the aggressive targeting that Iran has carried out and is still carrying out against the sisterly Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Jordan, as well as the friendly country Turkey, which are the countries that were seeking to prevent the outbreak of this war.”
The statement indicated that they touched on “the enormity of the risks resulting from continuing to plunge Lebanon into military adventures that Lebanon and the Lebanese are unacceptable to,” considering that this imposes “the necessity of a comprehensive national response to this trend in order to quickly save Lebanon.”
The former prime ministers affirmed their support for the efforts made by President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese government headed by Nawaf Salam, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive solution to the current crisis.
The statement explained that this solution lies in working to stop the Israeli attacks, ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories, and reaching an immediate ceasefire while adhering to the exclusivity of the resolution of war and peace.
The attendees also stressed the importance of completing the implementation of the decision to restrict weapons to the Lebanese state throughout all Lebanese territory, in addition to preventing Hezbollah’s military and security actions and activities.
In a related context, former prime ministers expressed their support for the government’s efforts to provide assistance to displaced Lebanese who are suffering from the consequences of the war, stressing the need to double and strengthen efforts to support them and secure their needs.
They also supported the measures taken by the government to hold a supportive meeting for Lebanon in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and urged the Prime Minister to make every effort possible to organize an Arab and international conference to help Lebanon overcome its current crisis and its political, security, economic and social impacts.
This meeting comes in light of the continuing military escalation in Lebanon and the region, as Israeli raids continue on various Lebanese regions, at a time when fears are increasing of the expansion of the scope of confrontations.
The country is also witnessing a worsening humanitarian crisis with the increasing number of displaced people as a result of military operations, which has prompted the Lebanese government to intensify its contacts with the international community to secure humanitarian and financial support for Lebanon.
