Lebanese Prime Minister: The state is present with all its capabilities to launch the recovery process and the return of the people of the South

Beirut, July 23 (KUNA) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed on Thursday that his country will be present with all its capabilities to launch the early return and recovery process for residents of the south, “and will not leave them alone in this phase.” The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement, quoted Salam as saying during a meeting he chaired at the government palace to discuss practical steps to facilitate the return of residents to their villages in southern Lebanon that “state ministries, their institutions, and their councils are mobilized to accomplish this task.” He clarified that his recent visit to the town of Zoutar al-Gharbi aimed to reassure residents of the south that the state would not stop at reclaiming the land, but would return with them and to them, through the deployment of the army and security forces, completion of road openings, removal of debris, restoration of basic services, and provision of temporary and transitional housing as well as ready-made homes. The meeting was attended by the President of the South Council Hashem Haider, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Relief Commission Major General Bassam al-Nabulsi, and Zahi Shahin, head of the Disaster Management Unit at the government palace. Salam had conducted a field visit on Wednesday to Zoutar al-Gharbi following the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the town in accordance with the arrangements of the Framework Agreement, after necessary coordination with the Special Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. These field developments come within the framework of the executive understandings of the Framework Agreement, signed in Washington last month between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation under U.S. sponsorship to end military confrontations. The Special Military Coordination Group for Lebanon is responsible for direct coordination between the parties to ensure the withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the southern areas designated as pilot zones. (End) F.Z. / M.K.