Electricity Project Details to be Discussed Monday before Decisive Action
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The cabinet is not willing to allow Energy Minister Jebran Bassil to spend $1.2 billion on an electricity project without having control on the funds, An Nahar daily reported Monday.
The controversial project will be discussed at a ministerial meeting held at the Grand Serail on Monday afternoon, a day before a cabinet session to be held at Baabda palace.
“The government does not seem to be ready to give up its powers to the energy ministry as mentioned in the draft law proposed by (FPM leader) Michel Aoun and the project proposed by Jebran Bassil during a cabinet session,” An Nahar said.
Aoun’s draft law was blocked in parliament by March 14-led opposition lawmakers. The proposal had also a lack of support from Prime Minister Najib Miqati and MPs loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.
“Reports that the argument about Bassil’s proposal was over is not true,” informed ministerial sources told the newspaper.
During Monday’s meeting, cabinet ministers will seek to put legal constraints to the spending of the project that would guarantee 700 Megawatts of electricity.
Miqati’s sources said that the power crisis is a priority but rejected reports that some parties in the government “want electricity while others don’t.”
“The issue is only technical and administrative and it is inappropriate to dub it political,” they told An Nahar.
Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour confirmed that the dispute was only on technical issues. “Discussions were held in the past few days with the premier and several political parties.”
“We will hold a technical and detailed discussion on the project and the mechanism that should be adopted for its implementation,” Abou Faour told As Safir daily, stressing the importance of its swift approval.
22 August 2011, 10:41
01
Admirez bonnes gens notre grand Guignol,
Filochard, Ribouldingue, et Croquignol,
En pieds nickelés ne firent pas mieux,
Il y a chez nous de quoi se remplir les yeux.
Devinez, bonnes gens, qui nous dirige?
C’est une TROÏKA transformée en quadrige,
A l’attelage d’origine s’est joint NASRALLAH,
Le fougueux étalon, le préféré d’ALLAH.
Les nobles équidés, lancés dans l’arène,
Sont menés par ceux qui tiennent les rennes.
Ils sont deux et parfois les ordres s’opposent,
La Syrie lâche, l’Iran tire, la vie n’est pas rose.
SOLEIMANE fait mine de ne pas comprendre,
MIQUATI, aux aguets, se laisse parfois surprendre,
BERRI acquiesce à tout ce qui est syrien,
NASRALAH, sans hésiter, dit oui aux iraniens.
voir suite
22 August 2011, 10:43
00
En arrière plan, furieux, le général tempête,
Car le Liban, pour lui, ne vaut pas tripette,
Rien ne l’intéresse sauf son damné budget,
Il menace et insulte ceux qui parlent de rejet.
Ainsi, tout compte fait, l’argent reste le maître,
Mais tous, unanimes, refusent de l’admettre.
22 August 2011, 10:46
01
C’est la cacophonie et le char en souffre,
Balloté en tous sens, il côtoie le gouffre,
Les moyeux malmenés menacent de se briser,
Le Liban humilié se trouve martyrisé.
En arrière plan, furieux, le général tempête,
Car le Liban, pour lui, ne vaut pas tripette,
22 August 2011, 10:47
00
En arrière plan, furieux, le général tempête,
Car le Liban, pour lui, ne vaut pas tripette,
Rien ne l’intéresse sauf son damné budget,
Il menace et insulte ceux qui parlent de rejet.
Ainsi, tout compte fait, l’argent reste le maître,
Mais tous, unanimes, refusent de l’admettre.
22 August 2011, 12:34
30
Aoun is acting like Rafeq harrir: bring his family and friends to the government forever. Like harriri did by appointing his friend saniora a perpetual finance minister as if Lebanon only have this half brain person. There are plenty of highly educated and smart people to put as finance misters. His son saad on the other hand shunned Aoun from his cabinet when Aoun won most of the christian votes and had saniora, his father's friend, as a prime minister and then leader of his mustaqbal party.
I applaud aoun on following in the footsteps of rafik Harriri; after all the whole governmental arena is a family business for crooks.
22 August 2011, 17:42
01
A giant distraction and money grab to take the focus off the collapse of the Assad regime.
22 August 2011, 20:02
11
what i want to know, is why wasn't the electricity issue addressed earlier. Or even ATTEMPTED to be addressed. It's not like we started having power cuts 6 months ago.
