Jumblat: Cabinet Convention Linked to Garbage Plan Implementation

Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on Sunday that PM Tammam Salam may not call for a cabinet session before the waste crisis plan kicks off and the dialogue sessions among rival parties resume.

“Prime Minister Tammam Salam is unlikely to call for a cabinet session before the implementation of the waste collection plan from the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and the start of the three-day national dialogue meetings aimed at addressing the presidential vacuum,” the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily quoted Jumblat.

“The waste collection plan is supposed to kick of on Wednesday,” the Progressive Socialist Party leader said referring to the plan of Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb that was announced in September to tackle the almost three-month long crisis.

Similarly in September, Speaker Nabih Berri launched national dialogue sessions among the rival political powers in an effort to ease tensions over a number of pending problems, most importantly the deadlock over the election of a new president and resolving the dispute over security appointments and promotions.

The dialogue sessions convened for three times and are scheduled to hold consecutive sessions on Oct. 6, 7 and 8, which will focus on the election of a new head of state.

However, on Tuesday the Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun threatened to suspend his party's participation in the talks in the wake of media reports that he had agreed to a settlement over the appointments file.