Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed during his meeting with the Lebanese community at the Consulate General in New York that the government is proceeding with extending state authority over all its territories and confining the decision of war and peace to its hands, pointing out that it has taken difficult decisions. He pointed out that the government has launched a serious reform workshop despite the magnitude of the challenges, stressing that it still sees a real opportunity to change the country's course and build a state in which the Lebanese regain their trust. He stressed that the government has taken important and fateful decisions regarding the weapons file, pointing out that it is proceeding with their implementation regardless of the difficulties, and that its goal is for the state alone to hold authority over all Lebanese territory, and for the army and legitimate forces alone to assume responsibility for the security of the Lebanese. He affirmed that "there is no state with two armies, and no state with two sets of decisions," considering that the monopoly of weapons by the state is a fundamental condition for the establishment of the state and the restoration of the trust of the Lebanese at home and abroad. The Prime Minister explained that Beirut is working in parallel to achieve Israeli withdrawal, secure the return of the southern residents to their areas, and launch the path of recovery and reconstruction, pointing out that stability and the establishment of the state form the basis for economic revival and attracting investments.