Ministers Loyal to Aoun Mulling Participation in Cabinet Next on Monday
Change and Reform bloc ministers are thinking over whether to participate in a cabinet session that is scheduled to be held at Baabda palace on Monday, following their boycott of two other meetings over a dispute on the full-time employment of Electricite du Liban’s contract workers.
By Saturday, the 10 ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun hadn’t announced their participation in the session that Premier Najib Miqati called for to discuss the latest security incidents, the murder attempt against MP Butros Harb, including the telecom data, and the 2012 draft state budget.
Parliament’s endorsement of the EDL workers’ bill last Monday caused a March 8 coalition rift between the FPM on one side and Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal movement on the other.
The draft-law’s approval led Christian lawmakers from both the March 8 and March 14 alliances to boycott the second day of the parliamentary session after they claimed that the employment of the workers would lead to the underrepresentation of Christians in state institutions.
The dispute also led to the suspension of the two cabinet sessions this week.
Sources close to Miqati justified the premier’s call for Monday’s session despite the failure to resolve the row with the FPM ministers by saying he had to invite for a cabinet meeting in his responsible position to deal with the security situation that is threatening the country.
The sources expressed confidence that the ministers loyal to Aoun would not boycott the Baabda session.
Sources close to President Michel Suleiman made similar comments to An Nahar, saying the government has important work to finish.
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