Berri Says Bassil Agreed to 'Half' of His Initiative

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said that Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has agreed to only “half” of his initiative for resolving the government formation crisis.

“Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri agreed to the initiative that I proposed while MP Jebran Bassil agreed to half of it,” Berri told Annahar newspaper in an interview to be published in full Tuesday.

He also stressed that Hariri “was named by the lawmakers, not by us.”

Separately, the Speaker said that it is the caretaker cabinet’s “duty” to convene to approve the state budget.

He also said that “oil wells can generate billions” and that Lebanon is “not bankrupt.”

Bassil had on Sunday said that Berri has not been an "impartial mediator" in his latest efforts to find a solution to the deadlock, urging Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to step in as a "friend" and "referee."