Berri, Salam to Meet over Cabinet Mechanism

Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he would hold talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam soon to discuss the decision-making mechanism adopted by the government to function in the absence of a president.

Berri told his visitors that the opening of an extraordinary session would also be on the agenda of their talks.

“The constitution is clear in terms of the decisions taken by the cabinet in the absence or presence of a head of state. The solution lies in abiding by the text,” said Berri, whose remarks were published in al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday.

In line with the constitution, the cabinet began exercising the president’s prerogatives after the parliament failed to elect a successor to Michel Suleiman whose mission ended in May last year.

Salam has adopted the collective vote formula that requires the approval of the 23 ministers on major decisions. Such a process is hindering the government's work over the veto right that certain cabinet members are exercising.

The majority of the cabinet ministers have reportedly backed a change in the mechanism.

MPs quoted Berri as stressing on Wednesday the importance of changing the mechanism.

In his remarks published in the dailies, the speaker ruled out a new dialogue session between al-Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah this week.

He expected the next round of talks between the parties' representatives to deal with the presidential deadlock.

The conferees will not discuss the names of candidates. They will focus on the characteristics that the next head of state should have, Berri said.

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