Cabinet Holds 'Successful' Last Session, Approves Jal el-Dib Bridge Project
The cabinet on Thursday held a “successful” session that could be the last of its meetings should the parliament elect a new president on Monday as expected.
“It was a successful session during which a large number of stalled decrees were approved,” acting information minister Sejaan Qazzi announced after the session.
“Some agenda and non-agenda items were approved while the issue of administrative appointments was postponed,” he said.
Among the approved items was the resumption of the construction of the Jal el-Dib bridge, Qazzi added.
Telecom Minister Butros Harb meanwhile lamented that “the agenda item related to mobile firms was not approved,” warning that “this seems to be the policy we should expect during the new presidential tenure.”
After the election of a president, the government is automatically considered resigned and would start acting in caretaker capacity without holding regular meetings.
Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil attended the session despite his boycott of several previous meetings over a dispute related to the decision-taking mechanism in the absence of a president and perceived marginalization of the main Christian parties.
The government discussed 85 items that were on its agenda in addition to several other urgent issues.
Ahead of the meeting, Minister of Social Affairs Rachid Derbas said: “Today the meeting is normal and to say farewell.”
Minister Nabil de Freij said: “I hope this will be the last meeting and that we finalize the agenda.”
Culture Minister Rony Raiji said: “The possibilities are open during the election session. I hope that all items on the agenda wil be approved in today's meeting.”
FPM founder MP Michel Aoun was tipped to become president after his nomination was formally endorsed by al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri last Thursday.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
Source: Naharnet
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