Salam Says Army in High Spirits over Aid, Lebanese Support

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has said that the recent successes of the Lebanese army against terrorists are due to the military aid to Lebanon and the support it is getting from across the political spectrum.

“The continued successes of the Lebanese army recently go back to military aid and the huge support that the political parties and citizens are providing it with,” Salam was quoted by An Nahar daily as telling his visitors.

“All these factors lifted the spirits of the armed forces and mainly the army,” he said in remarks published on Monday.

He said a 1 billion dollar grant from Saudi Arabia that was announced last year by al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri is being spent quickly.

As for a 3 billion dollar Saudi grant under which Lebanon would buy French weapons, it will be implemented starting April 4 based on a plan that Paris set with the military leadership, Salam told his visitors.

Asked about proposals to have a security cooperation between with Syria, he said: “There is no possibility for such coordination amid the dissociation policy” adopted by Lebanon.

“The security measures taken by the army, the Internal Security Forces and General Security can help confront terrorism,” Salam added.

Meanwhile, al-Joumhouria newspaper said that a large delegation will accompany Salam to the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday to attend an economic summit.

It said Economy and Trade Minister Alain Hakim and a 40-member delegation of businessmen and economists headed by the head of the Economic Committees, Adnan Kassar, are among those to accompany Salam.

The PM will also attend the Arab Summit on March 28.

G.K.

H.K.