NNA - After laying a wreath at the Martyrs' Statue in downtown Beirut, marking the 50th civil war anniversary of April 13, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed that "our state is the only one that can protect us all with its army and the trust that can be reborn between the Lebanese and their state."

He said, "Today, we are...a moment of contemplation and reflection after 50 years of war, in Martyrs' Square, because it is the square of the martyrs of all Lebanon, and it is the square that divided us throughout the war and formed a line of contact. Thank God it brought the Lebanese together. What matters to us today is that the Lebanese meet again with their state, and that we regain their trust in what we are doing, whether through reform or any other steps aimed at restoring the confidence of all Lebanese."

Regarding the possibility of war returning, Salam said: "It is remembered, but will not be repeated. The more we remember it, the more we learn from its experiences, and thus we confirm that it will not return."

Referring to the reform laws approved by the government, Salam said: "The first law that was approved is related to lifting banking secrecy, and it is distinguished from previous laws by its seriousness, and the duration of lifting banking secrecy for ten years. This is the only law that allows us to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate deposits, in terms of those who benefited from the banking secrecy system by depositing money obtained from drug trafficking or laundered in Lebanon. As for the second law, which regulates the restructuring of banks, its importance lies in the last annex, which determines the order in which funds are returned. First, the small deposits belonging to the Social Security Fund, pension and mutual funds, and then all other deposits.”

On his visit to Damascus and obtaining a final answer regarding the fate of Lebanese detainees in Assad's prisons, he said: "I will discuss this matter during my visit to Syria, hoping to be able to return with good news."

Regarding the Israeli occupation of some areas in southern Lebanon, the Prime Minister said: "The government has not been negligent in this matter, using all its diplomatic and political power to end this occupation. The points where Israel remained have no security, military or strategic significance. We are in an age of satellites, balloons and drones with precise imaging, in addition to networks of agents on the ground. We are not in the First World War, for Israel to need to position itself on a hill with binoculars to monitor its surroundings."

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