Berri Says Parliament Will Meet ‘Soon’ to Discuss Electricity Project

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed the importance of finalizing the electricity project to solve the issue that is affecting the citizen’s livelihood.

He declared during Wednesday’s parliamentary meeting that a parliament session will be held as soon as possible to discuss and adopt the project after the concerned committees complete their work.

“The parliament will perform its duty towards this issue and all the others,” lawmakers quoted Berri as saying.

The electricity draft law that was approved at cabinet last week has been referred to parliament on Monday.

The draft law was the subject of a dispute between various government factions.

It calls for dedicating LL1,772 billion to fund the establishment of a power plant capable of producing 700 megawatts.

Concerning Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi statements that created a controversy locally, the MPs said: “His position expresses a national stance toward the developments in Lebanon and the region.”

“He voiced fear over the repercussions of what is happening to the Christians in the region,” they added.

During his first visit to France last week, al-Rahi hoped Syrian President Bashar Assad would be given a chance to implement reforms, saying: “The poor man cannot work miracles".

The patriarch last week echoed that fear, voicing a concern over a possible takeover by the radical Muslim Brotherhood, a movement the Syrian authorities have blacklisted for decades.

"We endured the rule of the Syrian regime. I have not forgotten that," al-Rahi said. "We do not stand by the regime, but we fear the transition that could follow.”

"We must defend the Christian community. We too must resist," he said.

However, al-Rahi urged the Lebanese on Tuesday to forget about his statements that were allegedly taken out of context and stressed his rejection of differences in Lebanon and abroad.