Miqati Not at Ease with Resigned Cabinet, Rejects Oil Session without Consensus
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed unease at the failure to form a new government, saying he wanted to refer his authorities to the new PM as soon as possible.
In an interview with As Safir daily published on Monday, Miqati said: “I am not comfortable with the continued status of caretaking.”
“It's time to form a government and there should be a serious will to form an all-embracing cabinet … to confront internal challenges and the repercussions of the latest developments in the region,” he said.
The obstacles preventing the formation of the new cabinet lie in lack of trust among the involved parties, he said.
Differences on the number of shares of each camp in the government are secondary, he added.
Miqati reiterated that he would not call for a cabinet session to approve oil exploration decrees as long as there is lack of consensus on them.
He stressed that recent stances reveal that some parties have expressed reservations on Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil's approach to oil exploration.
Miqati said the formation of the Petroleum Authority last year was one of the most important achievements.
He called for allowing the authority, which includes competent people, to do its job and take the appropriate decisions to guarantee a better oil exploration process.
His remarks came as Bassil and caretaker Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is Speaker Nabih Berri's adviser, engaged in a war of words.
Bassil claimed that “some parties” would prevent authorities from drilling oil in several areas.
Oil should not be turned into a sect, he said.
But Khalil snapped back at him, accusing him of lacking patriotism and seeking to keep northern and southern areas of the country out of the tenders.
Two decrees are yet to be approved to award tenders for offshore oil and gas exploration. Their approval would designate Lebanon’s 10 offshore blocks for exploration and determine the model for revenue sharing.
Berri wants to assign the 10 blocks together while Bassil wants to assign two for the time being.
Meanwhile, Miqati congratulated the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch on its “important achievement” in the Tripoli mosque bombings of August 23.
The investigation is ongoing to arrest all the suspects, he said in a statement after the Intelligence Branch seized a Tripoli man identified as Youssef Diab, who admitted to parking a booby-trapped car near al-Salam mosque and then triggering the explosives.
Diab is from the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are Alawites and back Syrian President Bashar Assad.
An Nahar daily said a seven-member network was involved in the bombings at al-Salam and al-Taqwa mosques. Three of them are now in custody – Diab, who was arrested last Friday, Hassan Jaafar, who has facilitated the transfer of the car bombs from Syria, and Anas Hamza.
The ringleader, Hayan Haidar, and three others are nowhere to be found.
14 October 2013, 10:40
134
LOL @ An Nahar daily reporting:) These six-member Alawis should be revered as prophets and saints and join the ever increasing list of mujahideen and warriors. The Intelligence Branch of the ISF is outside the control of the state and the Islamic Secular Shia Only Resistance and as such it cannot be trusted. It is biased, unprofessional, and driven by sectarian objectives. It is the last security agency that has to be tamed and subdued by the resistance. God Bless Aoun for pursuing reforms at all levels. I cannot mention God's blessings without including our fearless leader, Sayyed Al Moqawaleh, Hassanallah.
14 October 2013, 10:49
131
funny how M8ers keep saying that only M14 obstruct the process when we read :
"Oil should not be turned into a sect, he said.
But Khalil snapped back at him, accusing him of lacking patriotism and seeking to keep northern and southern areas of the country out of the tenders."
even in their own camp they are arguing... poor M8ers, it proves how blind they can be when it suits them! LOL!
14 October 2013, 11:18
143
mikati was designated by M8ers... don't forget that FT boy... now don't come and cry that he is not doing what pleases you! LOL remember how M8ers used to laugh at M14 when he was elected? LOL
14 October 2013, 11:35
712
This sorry excuse of a country should only be ruled by FPM ministers and leaders. Everyone else is corrupt and connected to a foreign interest.
14 October 2013, 11:45
32
Poor Lebanon, this country is hopeless. Do you know that Lebanon was just listed as the 5th most dangerous country to visit in the world? In 1st place is Syria, 2nd is Yemen, 3rd is Cote D'ivoire and 4th is Somalia. We use to brag about the fact it was called the Paris of the Middle east. We were proud of our heritage and our culture, and enjoyed the nice weather and beautiful scenery. Tourists came in, spent money and really enjoyed their visit. Most came back time and time again. Beirut used to be a thriving city, THE financial hub of the region and our economy, although small and not perfect-was ok, despite the fact we had no natural resources and no majors industries to speak of. The Lebanese Lira was highly convertible and its value was solidly backed by gold. Do you guys remember all this stuff? Well congratulations to all for ruining what used to be a really nice place to live in. Whose fault is it?
14 October 2013, 12:14
12
Whose fault is it? the list is big: you blame Israel, The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, M14, M8, HA, LF, etc..got the picture? Does anybody ever accept responsibility for the misery that has been going on for 40 years? God sent you a gift : oil and Natural gas and plenty of it. He said to you:Hallelujah, here! go get it. Israel, Cyprus and Turkey are getting close to start pumping the wealth while the people you elected (what a joke) are fighting among each other and can't agree on a stupid decree. They are like 2 kids fighting over a toy until the neighbor's kid snuck in and stole it from them and now there are crying bloody murder. What are you people going to do about all this besides insulting each other. Stay tuned for more..just getting started
14 October 2013, 12:43
110
and what about your amal allies who are also stalling? are they from M14 also? LOL
" Khalil snapped back at him, accusing him of lacking patriotism and seeking to keep northern and southern areas of the country out of the tenders"
14 October 2013, 12:49
130
seems more like EVERY party is looking for its share of the cake... be them from M8 or M14...
as usual they are looking for THEIR interests and not that of the lebanese citizens!!!!
but can a M8 mind see this? i doubt as you believe in your binary minds that ONLY m14 are the bad ones and you are the good ones! LOL
14 October 2013, 13:19
20
You people sit in the front of your computers and insult each other everyday, a microcosm sample of your leaders who do the same to each other. And nothing, ever, is done. Corruption is rampant, politicians are bought and sold, some hiding outside the country, some are afraid to speak up and some speak up but they have to ask permission from their masters who happen to be non Lebanese. Some have no problems speaking because they have a big gun in their hand. And you call this a free and independent country. This is not new. It has always been that way, except now Syria is in trouble, Iran has a new leader, Nasser is dead, Saddam is dead, Ghaddafi is a gonner and everybody is lost because they are not used to make decisions on their own. They sold their soul for a “fist of dollars”. That is why we have no new government, wont have a new elections, a new president or a new parliement. And the misery continues.
More to come…stay tuned
