Salam: How Come All Sides Support Cabinet, but Refuse to Help Revitalize it?

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped that the obstacles hindering the cabinet from convening would be overcome this week in order to call it to session, reported the daily An Nahar on Monday.

He told the daily: “How is it that all sides are committed to the government and yet they do not help eliminate hurdles that are hampering its productivity?”

An Nahar said that the premier is waiting for the appropriate time to call cabinet to session.

This includes ensuring that all factors needed for the success of the discussions on the garbage disposal crisis are available, added the daily.

Salam hopes to achieve this goal this week, noting: “Is more stalling in this sensitive file acceptable?”

“Tackling the crisis does not require miraculous solutions,” he remarked.

If the trash file is not tackled at cabinet, then “Salam will reveal those hindering this issue and apologize to the Lebanese,” reported An Nahar.

Speculation was rife last week that the cabinet would convene on Tuesday in order to tackle the garbage crisis, but no session has been scheduled until the moment.

The government's work has been paralyzed in recent months amid a dispute with the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun over its decision-making mechanism and the thorny issue of military and security appointments, which has prompted a boycott by the movement's ministers.

Aoun announced last week that his ministers would not attend a cabinet session aimed at tackling the garbage crisis even though he supports Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb's proposal to solve it.