Salam: Talks with Hariri Focused on Mechanism to Spend Saudi Grant

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stated that the heads of military agencies are supposed to make a list of their needs in order to determine the manner in which to spend the Saudi Arabian grant to the Lebanese army, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.

He revealed that his talks with head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri on Friday focused on the mechanism to spend the grant.

Hariri has been tasked with spending the one billion dollar grant announced by the kingdom earlier this week.

“The mechanism is not likely to be complicated and it should not take much time to implement,” added Salam to As Safir.

He explained that the lists of the military agencies will be relayed to the concerned minister for approval, who will then transfer them to the prime minister for his consent.

Hariri will be informed by Salam of the details of these lists, said the daily.

Contacts will then be held with countries that can meet the demands of the agencies.

Asked if he were optimistic that Hariri's return will pave the way for the election of a president on Tuesday, Salam replied: “We did not discuss the details of the elections, but our sentiments have changed from the way they were a few days ago.”

Hariri returned to Beirut on Friday after a three-year absence.

He attended a security meeting at the Grand Serail with various heads of security agencies later during the day.

The meeting focused on spending the Saudi grant, which is aimed at providing the army with weapons to combat terrorism.

The army was embroiled earlier this week in clashes with Islamist gunmen in the northeastern town of Arsal.

Dozens of soldiers were killed and wounded in the unrest, which was sparked by the arrest of al-Nusra Front member Imad Jomaa.

A ceasefire has since been reached to end the fighting and the gunmen have withdrawn from the town.

The gunmen have however kidnapped a number of soldiers, whom they have taken with them outside of Lebanon, media reports said on Friday.

M.T.

D.A.