Nine-Page Govt. Policy Statement Expected as Amendments Made to Some of its Articles
The new government’s policy statement is expected to encompass nine pages, four of which will be dedicated to political issues, while the rest will tackle each ministry’s goals.
The committee drafting the statement held a meeting on Tuesday at the Grand Serail under Prime Minister Najib Miqati during which it finalized the issue of the equation of the army, people, and resistance.
Sources told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Wednesday that the article’s phrasing differed slightly than the phrasing of the previous government statement as the premier was keen not to copy its exact same terms.
They added that the current phrasing is “stronger” than the previous one.
Ministerial sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that the committee also agreed to introduce minor changes to other articles, including those on ties with Syria and neighboring countries and Lebanon’s international commitments.
It did not however address the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, leaving it to be the last topic of discussion.
This allows Miqati to conduct contacts away from the media spotlight in order to reach political consensus on the matter seeing as some sides in government don’t want to include the STL in the policy statement.
The sources added that these sides are linking the mentioning of the tribunal to including a clause on false witnesses in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or one on refusing to renew the agreement on the STL.
After two hours of reading the policy statement, the ministers at yesterday’s meeting decided to adjourn the session just as they had reached the clause on the electoral law.
They are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Should a final draft be approved, then Miqati may call for a government session on Friday for them to approve it.
Speaker Nabih Berri would then be handed a copy of the statement, which he would distribute among the MPs, calling them to session on Wednesday to discuss it.
In a related development, the speaker held talks on Tuesday with his advisor MP Ali Hasan Khalil and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s political advisor Hussein Khalil on the policy statement and its various contentious issues, especially the STL.
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