NNA - Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received this evening at the Grand Serail the Speaker of the Shura Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and the accompanying delegation, in the presence of Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Amani, who congratulated the Prime Minister on the new government formation.

During the meeting, PM Salam stated that "the Lebanese state is working hard through all diplomatic and political means to pressure Israel to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon."

He also stressed that "the government committed in its ministerial statement to rebuilding what was destroyed by the recent Israeli aggression."

Referring to the airport issue, Salam emphasized that the safety of the airport and passengers' security is the primary consideration that governs the operation of flights to and from Martyr Rafik Hariri's International Airport in Beirut, and it is the responsibility of the Lebanese state.

Regarding the regional challenges resulting from the Gaza war, the Prime Minister considered that there is no solution without enabling the Palestinian people to determine their fate on their land and establish their independent state therein, as per the Arab Peace Initiative that was approved at the Beirut Summit in 2002 and which was unanimously adopted by the Arab countries and the Islamic Cooperation Organization countries as well.

============R.Sh.