Berri urges govt. to prioritize reconstruction, says 'will escalate if Salam escalates'

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri seems to support ally Hezbollah in its cold war with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Salam, who vowed the state's monopoly on arms since his appointment, recently escalated his rhetoric saying that the era of "exporting the Iranian revolution has ended" and that the state "will not remain silent over any arms outside the state’s control". "The region has grown tired of Iranian-U.S. polarization," he said.

Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad responded criticizing Salam for recently omitting the word "Resistance" from the "Resistance and Liberation Day" holiday in one of his statements, but said he would not say more "to preserve what’s left of cordiality."

Berri seemed to take Hezbollah's side, telling local al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that "if Salam escalates, we will escalate and if he chooses to calm things down, we will calm them down."

Berri went on to say that it is the government's responsibility to prioritize the construction of war-hit regions, "whether it likes it or not."

"It must be the first topic to discuss with sisterly countries, especially since Lebanon has begun strengthening its relations with the world."

Salam had said that Lebanon, exhausted by divisions and wars, is returning to the Arab fold and will be open to the world.