Report: Cabinet to Resume Meetings despite Rocky Path
Tough consultations over the cabinet impasse led to a breakthrough among the political arch-foes as Prime Minister Tammam Salam will reportedly call for a session next week.
According to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday, contacts between AMAL movement Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Progressive Socialist Party Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, Free Patriotic Movement Education Minister Elias Abou Saab, Kataeb Party Economy Minister Alain Hakim and PM Salam led to this positive development.
The newspaper said that Salam will call for a cabinet session next week if positivity among the rival parties resumed.
The session will reportedly have the same agenda as the previous session with no major changes.
Sources estimated that the PM's stance over the differences between government members led to this result.
“Salam realizes the importance of having an active cabinet amid this stage, which made everyone assume their responsibilities,” the sources said.
PM Salam insisted recently that he will not call for a cabinet session this week over differences on extra-budgetary spending and a decree on Lebanese University’s contract professors.
Cabinet decrees require the approval of its 24 ministers in accordance with an agreement reached last month in light of the vacuum at Baabda Palace.
Last week, the cabinet failed to approve the LU decree over differences between the representatives of different parties on the appointment of deans.
Disagreements on the spending from outside the state budget have also left the fate of salaries of civil servants unclear.
Lebanon has been without an official budget since 2005. The cabinet should allocate the extra spending.
H.K.
M.T.
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