Conflicting Reports Emerge on Suleiman’s Approval to Sign $5.9 Spending Bill

President Michel Suleiman linked his approval to signing the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending with the cabinet’s approval of Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi’s proposal to allocate his ministry with $3.12 billion to cover some expenses of state institutions in 2012, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday.

A ministerial source told the daily that cabinet members failed to find consensus over Safadi’s proposal during Wednesday’s cabinet session at the Baabda Palace, prompting the postponement of the discussions until next week’s session.

“The issue is political and not constitutional as the president was arguing that he will not sign the extra-budgetary spending over constitutional violations, but it turned out that he is conditioning his signature with the approval of the $3.12 billion expenses,” a source close to the ministerial majority said.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper, the president would add his signature to the $5.9 billion bill if it was modified and if the cabinet approved the $3.12 billion proposal and referred it to the parliament.

However, presidential sources denied the reports saying that Suleiman suggested that the cabinet approve the $3.12 billion expenses and refer it to parliament in order to reveal who is really behind the stalemate.

The sources added that if parliament failed to approve the proposal then the president will sign the two bills on the basis that it is a “necessity” in order to resolve the crisis.

Suleiman has continuously expressed his refusal to sign a $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending bill over constitutional violations as it includes irregularities that should be settled by the parliament through the adoption of the reservations expressed by the legislature’s spending and budget committee.

But Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun accused him of forcing the government to violate the constitution by spending illegally in an attempt to appease the March 14 opposition in its demands to find a comprehensive solution to the extra-budgetary spending made since 2005, the last time Lebanon had an official state budget.