Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed that "the negotiation path that we chose is the fastest and least costly path for Lebanon and the Lebanese, and for the South and the southerners." Salam pointed out at the beginning of the cabinet session that negotiation was not the only option available, but it was the best option. He said: "We could have folded our hands in the face of a reality and a war that we did not choose, and this was not possible for a moment, or we could have gone to international courts, which would take years while we would lose more, or we could have resorted only to the Security Council and witnessed obstruction and political vetoes while the destruction continued. Of course, the option of negotiations does not mean that we are foregoing the possibility of also resorting to any of the other options in parallel with it." Salam praised what the President of the Republic announced today, saying: “The negotiations were not easy, and our delegation faced Israeli intransigence. What we are demanding in these negotiations is not new. It is what we have said since day one: a complete Israeli withdrawal from our land, and the return of our people to their homes and villages in dignity and safety, armed with our right to our land, and with the support of our Arab brothers, and international support, as well as American understanding.” He added: “With regard to the south of the Litani being free of militants and weapons, this is not a condition imposed on us by anyone. This is what Lebanon pledged to the world when it approved Resolution 1701 in 2006. Regarding the issue of the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state in the entire Lebanese territory, we were very late in implementing what was stipulated in the Taif Agreement that the Lebanese signed, which was also stated in our ministerial statement. We missed the opportunity in 2000 after the withdrawal. "Israel, then after the Syrian withdrawal in 2005. We must not waste this opportunity either, because wasting it this time will have undesirable consequences." The Prime Minister pointed out that "the next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in experimental areas as a first stage, which does not negate our right to complete withdrawal, but rather brings us closer to it." He said: "Every hour that passes without implementation is an hour that the South and its people pay the price for. What is required of all parties is to prioritize the interest of Lebanon and its people over any other interest, external or factional, and to bear their responsibilities. Whoever refuses or procrastinates alone bears the burden of what may result from that, in the face of history, and most importantly in the face of the Lebanese people who have suffered a lot and made the greatest sacrifices." He added: “Therefore, I address everyone clearly: Let us work together under the roof of the state. And once again I repeat, this path is not easy, and it will not be short, but it will become shorter, and we will become stronger in it, when all efforts are united within the institutions of the Lebanese state.”