Lebanese PM says state must control war, peace for full sovereignty
16:33, 07/10/2026, WednesdayU: Update: 16:36, 07/10/2026, Wednesday
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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf SalamLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says his country's sovereignty depends on state institutions holding exclusive authority over war and peace decisions, speaking at a ceremony marking the centenary of the Constitution and calling for full implementation of the Taif Agreement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday that his country cannot achieve complete sovereignty unless state institutions hold exclusive authority over decisions concerning war, peace and national security, speaking at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of Lebanon's Constitution in Beirut.
Constitutional Centenary
Salam delivered his remarks at the opening of an exhibition at the National Library in Beirut commemorating the constitutional milestone. He stressed the imperative of completing the implementation of the 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon's 15-year civil war, and continuing the process of building robust state institutions. The agreement redistributed political powers among the country's religious communities and transferred certain presidential authorities to the Council of Ministers and Parliament.
Sovereignty and State Authority
The premier emphasized that the Taif Agreement affirmed Lebanon as "a final homeland for all its citizens, Arab in identity and affiliation," establishing a democratic parliamentary system based on the separation and balance of powers. "There is no meaning to popular sovereignty if there are multiple sources of authority outside the institutions that represent the people, and there is no meaning to the rule of law if the law does not apply to everyone," Salam said. "State sovereignty is not complete if sovereign decisions, such as decisions on war, peace and national security, are made outside its constitutional institutions," he added.
Taif Agreement Legacy
The agreement introduced key principles into the Constitution's preamble, including the objective of abolishing political sectarianism through a phased plan, Salam noted. Signed in the Saudi city of Taif in 1989 under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations, the accord established equal political representation between Christians and Muslims while attempting to strengthen political participation across sectarian lines.
