Report: Dialogue to Tackle Oil, Budget as No Progress Expected on Presidency, Electoral Law

The three consecutive national dialogue sessions that will kick off Tuesday will represent a chance for Speaker Nabih Berri to refer the state budget issue to the cabinet and to address the file of offshore oil and gas exploration, but the meetings are not expected to achieve any progress regarding the issues of the presidency and the electoral law, a media report said on Sunday.

“Berri believes that the meetings are a chance to agree on resolution and to pave the way for preparing and discussing a draft state budget and to pass it in cabinet ahead of referring it to parliament for deliberations,” al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.

“But the sources expressed concern that the file would run into difficulties and objections, especially from the Change and Reform bloc, which has already announced its stance openly,” the daily added.

Berri is also expected to brief the dialogue parties on the atmosphere and outcome of his recent meeting with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil over the issue of oil and gas exploration, after a lot of “conflicting reports” have emerged in this regard, the sources said.

As for the stalled issues of the presidential election and the electoral law, the sources ruled out a breakthrough in any of the two files, noting that the stances of all parties “have not changed” regarding the two topics.