Hasbani Says His Exclusion from Baabda Financial Meeting Unjustified

Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani on Friday said his exclusion as deputy PM from a high-level financial meeting in Baabda was “unjustified.”

“I have not found a justification for the exclusion of the deputy prime minister from such a meeting, especially that we and those whom we represent have clear approaches that serve the government and Lebanon’s higher interest,” Hasbani said in a statement.

“There is no need to remind of the role that we played and are still playing in this regard, from devising proposals to exit the crisis to seeking with friendly countries to boost deposits in Banque du Liban, a move that might yield results soon,” Hasbani added.

“If some want to marginalize this top Greek Orthodox post in the executive authority, which currently represents a main component of the country, this marginalization would be undermining the principle of institutions in this critical period,” the deputy PM went on to say.

The meeting was chaired by President Michel Aoun and attended by Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, State Minister for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati, Economy Minister Mansour Bteish, the head of the finance parliamentary committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, the head of the Association of Banks Salim Sfeir and Presidency Director-General Antoine Choucair.