Lebanese PM-designate Salam says his hands are extended, in nod to Hezbollah

BEIRUT, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Lebanon‘s Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday his hands are extended to everyone, in a gesture to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group that accused opponents of seeking to exclude it by nominating him for the post.

Salam, nominated by a majority of Lebanese lawmakers on Monday, said he opposed exclusion and supported unity. “This is my sincere call, and my hands are extended to everyone,” he said.

Salam, who was serving as president of the International Court of Justice before his designation as prime minister, cited priorities including rebuilding Lebanon from last year’s devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The choice of Salam underlined a major shift in the power balance among Lebanon’s sectarian factions since Hezbollah was pummelled in its conflict with Israel, and its ally in neighbouring Syria, Bashar al-Assad, was toppled by rebels.

“Reconstruction isn’t just a promise, but a commitment, and this requires complete implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701, implementation of all articles of the ceasefire, and imposing the full withdrawal of the Israeli enemy from every inch” of Lebanon, Salam said.

He added that he would work for justice for the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and for depositors whose savings have been frozen inside the Lebanese financial system since its collapse in 2019.

“It is time to begin a new chapter, one that we want to be rooted in justice, security, progress, and opportunity,” Salam said after meeting President Joseph Aoun.