Aoun’s Bloc Deems Wednesday Cabinet Session as Poor Start for Govt. Work

The Change and Reform bloc has criticized the articles that have been placed on cabinet’s agenda for Wednesday, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Sources from the bloc deemed the result as a “bad sign and poor start for the resumption of government’s work.”

Cabinet is expected to be held on Wednesday with 123 articles on its agenda, the first of which tackles environmental issues.

The bloc however does not plan on boycotting the cabinet session as it did on November 25, reported al-Liwaa.

The Change and Reform ministers plan on attending the session because Prime Minister Najib Miqati had announced that economic, developmental, administrative, and academic affairs will be tackled, it said.

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil handed on Thursday Miqati an official copy of the demands that Change and Reform bloc ministers made during a press conference last week.

As Safir daily said the requests include the adoption of a water plan, working on the adoption of the electricity law, preparing the state budget based on the agreements reached at the parliamentary finance committee, approving the wage boost and in addition to other things appointing the head of the Higher Judicial Council.

Bassil, who is Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun’s son-in-law, reportedly informed the prime minister that the FPM would decide its future steps based on how the government would deal with the demands.

Bassil warned Miqati that the FPM would not give up any of its demands and all moves, including the resignation of the Change and Reform bloc ministers, are a possibility, As Safir said.

But FPM sources told the newspaper that the ministers would attend the cabinet session next week.

On November 25, the ministers boycotted a government meeting to allegedly protest the cabinet’s performance.