Officials Meet in Baabda as Deal Reportedly Reached on Convening Cabinet

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday met with Lebanese Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan and State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib in Baabda, in the presence of State Minister for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati, Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.

Media reports meanwhile said that an agreement has been reached on resuming cabinet sessions.

LBCI television said the session will be held next week before Eid al-Adha as OTV, which is affiliated with Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, said the Qabrshmoun case will be raised in the session and that a vote on referring it to the Judicial Council “might take place if necessary.”

The Center House meanwhile witnessed a meeting between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and FPM chief Jebran Bassil.

The Hariri-Bassil talks tackled “the developments and the need to resort to pacification in addressing the sensitive issues,” the Hariri-affiliated Mustaqbal Web news portal reported.

A cabinet session was abruptly adjourned in the wake of the deadly Qabrshmoun incident and the council of ministers has not convened since that meeting.

Two of Gharib’s bodyguards were killed in the incident and his party has insisted that the case should be referred to the Judicial Council, a demand opposed by the Progressive Socialist Party and its allies.