The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the caretaker government, Abdullah Bouhabib, mourned the great journalist and publisher of Al-Safir newspaper, Talal Salman, saying, "Today we bid farewell to a great friend from the world of journalism, leaving his marks in the world of the word emanating from Lebanon to the surrounding and Gulf regions." He added, "Over the years, the deceased carved chapters in the book of written media. He didn’t just report the news; he participated in its creation along with a group of Lebanese and Arab press journalists." Bouhabib continued, "Talal Salman was mentored by greats, imprisoned for his beliefs, and nearly paid with his life for adhering to his principles. He ascended the ladder of journalistic stardom step by step, with determination and steadfastness, until he became a school in the realm of journalism, a mandatory path for a selection of newspaper and magazine owners and journalists. These lines cannot encompass the history of Talal Salman, the cultured self-made man who built himself up and became a role model for many diligent aspiring journalists." He noted, "Talal Salman, the man who resembled himself, we will miss you and miss the sessions of intellectual brainstorming and exchange of opinions and analyses. Whether you agreed or disagreed with him politically, the late man imposed respect from his adversaries before his friends, because he came from a school in politics and journalism that believes that the clash of ideas generates truth, and differing opinions do not spoil friendly relations." He concluded, "Your editorials in your newspaper 'Al-Safir' will remain with us because great ideas remain eternal and valid for all times and places. Our heartfelt condolences to your family and loved ones. What comforts us, your friends, is that your ink and ideas remain with us."
Former MP Walid Jumblatt mourned Salman, saying: "Farewell to Arabism that shall return, farewell to the voice of those who have no voice and will remain, farewell to Palestine that will not be defeated, farewell to a dream that will not die."
Meanwhile, the President of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslan, stated: "Today we bid farewell to the ambassador of thought, pen, and journalistic balance, Talal Salman, the thinker, writer, researcher, and man of integrity, who spent his life in a profession he desired to be a platform for his free pen in defense of national and rightful issues with objectivity, sophistication, and manners. Lebanon and the world have lost you, and we all have lost you; may God have mercy on you and grant you a spacious paradise. My warm condolences to the esteemed family and the family of Lebanese and Arab journalism."
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora mourned Salman, saying: "Lebanon and the Arab nation lost a towering figure in avant-garde and struggling journalism and a pioneer of modernization and progress in Arab media with the passing of Talal Salman." He added, "Talal Salman was a unique and respected model in Lebanese and Arab journalism. He began his journey as a front-line editor and writer, then as editor-in-chief and innovator, until he established 'Lebanon in the Arab World' and 'The Arab World in Lebanon,' quickly advancing with his newspaper to the forefront, making Al-Safir an indispensable newspaper that you could never miss an issue of, in a country renowned for its leading newspapers and as the voice of the voiceless." He continued, "In times of crisis, citizens awaited Al-Safir as they awaited a loaf of bread; it was a pioneering newspaper in news, analysis, and stance, which is the secret of Talal Salman’s success who left us yesterday, being a model of audacity and bravery at the forefront of those carrying the banner of progressive and enlightened Arabism." Siniora concluded, "When Talal Salman realized that the circumstances no longer permitted Al-Safir to continue at the level it was issued, he had the courage and boldness to make the bitter decision and swallow the bitter pill, deciding to close down and halt the experiment dear to his heart before circumstances overpowered him — he exited as a distinguished noble knight. May God have mercy on Talal Salman, the friend, brother, and fighter whose voice and that of his newspaper and experience will resonate throughout Lebanon and the Arab nation."
The "Academy of Scholars of Beirut" mourned Talal Salman, stating in a statement: "Who does not know Talal Salman, the great writer and journalist throughout the country and across every corner of the Arab world? Numerous titles befit him: the resistant journalist, a star that does not fade, he disappears but does not extinguish, the owner of Al-Safir newspaper, the voice of the voiceless, and all of these are titles that a unique pen and bearer of the concerns of his nation, resistance, and Palestine truly deserves. May God have mercy on the great deceased, steadfast in his stance, who did not change nor waver in a time when steadfastness on the compass of Palestine became rare. He departed with a heart aching for the fragmented nation, but what comforted him was that in this small nation there exists resistance that protects the homeland despite everything that plagues it internally, against all divisive and factional projects, as well as in the face of the aggression of the occupier and all ambitions and attempts at weakening in service to the usurping Zionist entity. May God have mercy on the late great one, and to his family and loved ones, we extend the highest words of condolences and the most sincere expressions of sympathy."
