Aridi, Safadi Trade Barbs over Funding of Public Works Projects

Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi and Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi traded salvos of accusations on Thursday over the funding of ministry projects.

Aridi, who has been boycotting cabinet sessions over the past two weeks, said in a press conference that he cannot be a “partner in mismanagement.”

He accused the finance ministry and Premier Najib Miqati of going back on their promise to finance the public works ministry’s projects.

Out of seven advance payments, the ministry only received two, said Aridi, who is loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.

He unveiled that Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour was told to inform Aridi that several projects will be cancelled because they exceeded the budget’s ceiling.

“How do you say that you signed on the advance payments and now you say that you don’t have money?” Aridi wondered, insisting that he would continue to boycott the government until funds are allocated to his ministry.

But Safadi, who is loyal to Miqati, snapped back saying Aridi’s remarks were unjust.

He “knows more than anyone else that the public works ministry exceeded the ceiling set in the 2010 budget and the draft 2011 budget,” Safadi said, adding “he is now asking again to exceed it by large amounts.”

The finance minister stressed that he rejects to “violate the law or make exceptions that go against the rules under any circumstance.”

Sources close to the PSP stressed that the accusations were limited to ministry projects but informed political sources told An Nahar daily that the problem has “political intentions.”

They said Miqati is seeking to solve the public works ministry problem and could even hold talks with Jumblat about the government’s overall performance.

However, Aridi’s accusations, in addition to Abou Faour’s criticism during the latest cabinet session of Lebanon’s role in the Arab foreign ministers meeting on Syria, are seen as an attempt by ministers loyal to Jumblat to make objections to the government’s performance.

Abou Faour has said that the cabinet is “embarrassed and confused from Lebanon’s stance at the Arab League.”

Lebanon, Syria and Yemen voted against the league’s decision to suspend Syria’s membership.