Lebanese PM: Mideast status "far away from peace"

DOHA, Dec 7 (KUNA) -- The visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Sunday drew a bleak picture of the Middle East status at present saying the "current situation in the region has remained far away from peace and stability." Salam, speaking at the 2025 Doha Forum, said previous agreements including the declaration of ceasing hostilities, reached a year ago under the aegis of France and the United States, have not been honored.
The Israeli occupation's continuous occupation of a number of locations in south Lebanon "are not worthwhile militarily or strategically in the shadow of modern technological development," Salam said. He was alluding to the occupation of several hilltop positions overlooking wide swaths of territories in southern Lebanon.
Elaborating, Salam said the Lebanese Army is the sole force entitled to full monopolization of weapons according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and all "issues of war and peace must remain under the authority of the Lebanese Government along with adherence to the signed accords." On aspired economic reforms in Lebanon, the prime minister said such an objective is achievable through restoration of the state authority, its monopolization of the arms, conducting financial, administrative and judicial reforms, in addition to regulating employment in the public sector as well as updating banking laws to preserve depositors' rights.
The government is seeking to enact a law that enables the depositors to have access to their accounts, along with a mechanism to "share the responsibility between the state and the depositors," the Lebanese prime minister added.
He was alluding to a severe economic-financial crisis that began several years ago, when banks declared dry-up of liquidity and inability to pay the depositors, coinciding with dramatic fall of the pound value vis a vis the US dollar, currently trading at around 90,000 pounds to one USD. (end) sss.rk