Salam 'Won't Accept or Reject' Kataeb Ministers Resignation

The resignations of Kataeb Party's ministers Sejaan Qazzi and Alain Hakim will remain unofficial, similarly to that of Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, due to Prime Minister Tammam Salam's keenness on the coherence of his government, a media report said on Sunday.

Salam does not want his government to collapse “under the pressure of the settling of scores or the bickering over the current issues,” sources close to Salam told al-Mustaqbal newspaper.

“I'm also not satisfied with the government's performance but we have a national responsibility to shoulder,” Salam had reportedly told Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel when the latter visited him to inform him of the resignation decision.

“Salam neither accepted nor rejected the resignation, stressing to Gemayel that his party and all political forces are free in the decisions that take,” the sources added.

Gemayel had first announced the resignation of the ministers on Tuesday, accusing the government of failing to address the country's problems.

"This government has become uncontrollable and detrimental" to the interests of the country, Gemayel said on Tuesday.

"Its existence is worse than its inexistence. Nothing justifies our participation," he told a news conference.

"The government does not care about finding a solution to the problem of Syrian refugees, nor does it care about the economic plan presented by the economy minister" or the garbage crisis, Gemayel said.

Y.R.