Miqati Defends Decision to Boycott June 8 Session

Premier-designate Najib Miqati announced his boycott of the June 8 parliamentary session out of fears that if he attended the meeting he would be accused of procrastination in the formation of the new cabinet, his sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Saturday that Miqati made his decision to shrug off accusations that he prefers giving executive authorities to parliament rather than speeding up the government formation process.

The June 8 session is aimed at renewing the mandate of Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh and in addition to other things giving amnesty to certain prisoners. Speaker Nabih Berri is insisting on holding it despite the announcement of Miqati’s bloc and the Jamaa Islamiya on Friday that they would not attend the meeting.

The March 14 forces and the National Struggle Front of Walid Jumblat also believe that Berri’s move would further complicate Lebanon’s political life.

Miqati’s sources told An Nahar and As Safir that rather than holding a parliamentary session, political parties should encourage the quick formation of the cabinet and support the functioning of constitutional institutions.

They denied that the prime minister-designate’s decision was targeted at Berri “who is seeking through his call for the session to limit the damages inflicted on the country.”

“But this initiative faced complications that should be solved through consensus,” the sources said about the clash between the March 8 and 14 forces.