Salam visits Berri: Back to normal, without major concessions

Everything seems to be gradually returning to order. A few days after the Cabinet meeting held on Friday in the Baabda Presidential Palace— during which the government “welcomed” the army’s plan to disarm militias — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri mobilized to ease recent tensions sparked by Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over its weapons to the state. Following his talks with President Joseph Aoun and Army Chief Rodolph Haykal, the speaker received Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday, who has been under heavy criticism from Amal’s and Hezbollah’s grassroots since Aug. 5. The goal is to restore channels between Ain al-Tineh and the Grand Serail. Yet Salam is holding firm to his principles: The disarmament plan will be implemented, and a national security strategy will be drawn up within state institutions — not through Berri’s usual...