Report: Salam seeks prior agreement from Shiite Duo on cabinet session tackling Hezbollah arms
French President Emmanuel Macron advised PM Nawaf Salam in their latest meeting to hold a cabinet session to issue a resolution on monopolizing arms in the hands of the state, political sources said.
'Delaying the decision on arms monopoly will subject the country to further threats through the expansion of Israel's violations and attacks, although official sides deny that the government has received international warnings about Israel's intention to wage a new war,' the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
'This prompted Salam, after consulting with President Joseph Aoun, to carry out a broad series of contacts to explore the government parties' readiness to secure political rather than numerical quorum for holding a cabinet session dedicated to taking a decision on arms monopoly,' the sources added.
'Salam and (Speaker Nabih) Berri will hold further discussions to create the right circumstances for holding a cabinet session that has consensus on arms monopoly on its agenda,' the sources said.
'Salam is avoiding to convene cabinet before he obtains prior agreement from the Shiite Duo on backing arms monopoly, because he does not want to implicate the government in a rift with Shiites,' the sources added.
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