Stances Interact after Riyadh Summit, Cabinet Renews BDL Governor Term

President Michel Aoun chaired an ordinary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda that tackled agenda items, the outcomes that emerged after the Riyadh summit and renewed the term of the Central Bank governor.

Aoun chaired the meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the ministers, NNA said.

Aoun and Hariri held a closed meeting before the session began, talks focused on the latest developments in the country.

The President touched on the circumstances that accompanied the issuance of the Riyadh summit's final statement after the departure of the Lebanese delegation, he said: "Lebanon is committed to what is stated in the oath of office and the government’s ministerial statement.”

He told the cabinet that he called the Higher Defense Council for a meeting on Friday to discuss the security situation in the country and the measures to be taken in several areas, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The cabinet has also reappointed Lebanon's long-serving (Banque du Liban) BDL governor Riad Salameh for another six year term.

The renewal of Salameh's term sends a positive signal to international investors at a time of regional turbulence when Lebanese banks are increasingly under scrutiny from the U.S. Treasury.

Before the cabinet convened, Minister of Women's Affairs Jean Oghassapian said the outcome of the Riyadh Summit must be comprehended, and parties in Lebanon “need not engage in useless debates about it.”

Whether Hizbullah plans to mark a position with regard to the summit that mentioned the party among terror groups, Hizbullah Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan said “you will learn later.”

For his part, Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Fneish said: “The government must make a clear position as for the summit's statement to clarify whether it agrees with it or not.”

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Qanso said: “Before the Lebanese delegation headed to Riyadh, we raised attention that Lebanon must not make a negative position as for the Resistance because it would have negative repercussions on the internal arena.

“Labeling the Resistance a terrorist organization is unacceptable. The statement issued after the summit touched on the Resistance. A proper position will be taken after the cabinet meeting,” he stressed.