Berri Says 'Critical' Situation Presses for Quick Govt. Action

In the past few days, a debate has taken place at different political levels mainly between Baabda Palace and Ain el-Tineh that focused on the need for an “urgent government momentum and effectiveness” as soon as the PM recovers from a heart operation he underwent early this week, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

In that regard, Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized that Lebanon faces a major crisis that needs quick action.

“The situation in the country not only requires putting the government on the right production track, but also presses for quick action in order to catch up with the crisis before it becomes difficult to cure," Berri told the daily in an interview.

Berri and President Michel Aoun have discussed the situation in a telephone conversation. They emphasized the need to first approving the country’s state budget, said the daily.

PM Saad Hariri underwent a heart stent operation on Monday. Reportedly, due to his condition, the cabinet has not met this week, and Berri has postponed a Q&A parliament session that was scheduled on Wednesday.

In remarks he made during his weekly meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Berri said: “It would have been better if the budget had been approved before the formation of the government, because we had a golden opportunity to complete this entitlement.

“The Cabinet must speed up the budget approval in order to refer it to the parliament,” he said, stressing that the budget must reduce the deficit by more than 1%, otherwise “the country will not be in a good situation.”