LONDON: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday that his government was pressing ahead with “important and decisive” measures to place all weapons under state control. Speaking to members of Lebanon’s expatriate community at the Lebanese Consulate General in New York City, Salam said a state monopoly on arms was essential to Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability and economic recovery. He added that the government’s objective was for the state alone to exercise authority throughout the country and to control decisions on war and peace, Lebanese state media reported. “We have taken important and decisive decisions, and we are pressing ahead with their implementation regardless of the difficulties,” Salam said. “Our goal is clear: for the state alone to hold authority over its entire territory; for the decision on war and peace to rest solely with the state; and for the army and legitimate forces alone to be responsible for the security of the Lebanese people. “There can be no state with two armies, nor a state with two decision-making authorities,” Salam said, describing the state’s exclusive control of weapons as a prerequisite for restoring confidence among Lebanese people at home and abroad. He added that the government was pursuing that policy alongside efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal, facilitate residents’ return to southern Lebanon and begin recovery and reconstruction work. “There is no economy without stability, and no investment without a state,” Salam said. The Lebanese PM made the remarks while attending the 81st UN General Assembly in New York City, where he held meetings with several regional and international officials, including UN chief Antonio Guterres, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and US Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. In his meeting with Erdogan, Salam discussed developments in Lebanon and the broader region, as well as efforts to ease tensions and promote regional security and stability, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The two leaders also discussed Turkiye’s possible support for southern Lebanon’s recovery, including prefabricated housing intended to help residents return to their towns and villages. In separate talks with Iraq’s Al-Zaidi, Salam discussed bilateral relations, regional developments and follow-up on outcomes of his July visit to Baghdad. The discussions covered prospective joint initiatives in energy, transportation and regional connectivity.