Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the United States of America, the Arab brothers and friends of Lebanon around the world, whose efforts contributed to reaching this agreement. He said that the “framework” that was reached today with Israel under American sponsorship aims to achieve Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese lands, restore the state’s sovereignty over them, and return its people to it. He added that what Lebanon must do in this “framework,” which is to extend the authority of the Lebanese state through its armed forces over its entire territory, is nothing other than what the Lebanese had previously agreed upon in the Taif Agreement, which is the agreement that Security Council Resolution No. 1701 stressed the necessity of implementing. Salam stressed that the “Declaration of Cessation of Hostilities” for the year 2024, which was approved by the previous government, clearly states in its introduction that only legitimate forces are authorized to bear arms in Lebanon, and specifies them exclusively. Our government's ministerial statement, on the basis of which it gained Parliament's confidence, also reaffirmed these national constants, in addition to emphasizing that the state alone is the decision maker of war and peace. He continued: “I look forward to the blessed hour in which Israel will begin its withdrawal, so that our dear people can return safely and with dignity to their homes that they were forced to leave, and the launch of the reconstruction workshop there.”