Miqati: Caretaker Cabinet Cannot Perform Duties of Complete Govt.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Monday that the caretaker government is adopting legal and constitutional standards in carrying out its actions.

He said before his visitors: “Despite the demands of the critical phase Lebanon is passing through, the cabinet cannot perform the duties of a complete government.”

“Any solutions it comes up with at the current time will be lacking especially since the constitution stipulates that a caretaker period should last a short time,” he explained.

He therefore called on all sides to remain positive in order to reach an agreement over a new government “because maintaining the current situation will complicate issues, especially on the economic, social, and financial levels.”

Addressing the political deadlock, Miqati revealed that he was supposed to unveil an initiative, but he will wait and see if other proposals will yield their desired results.

Speaker Nabih Berri had proposed an initiative that calls for the resumption of national dialogue at the Baabda Palace for a period of at least five consecutive days to discuss the form and policy statement of the future cabinet. He said Premier-designate Tammam Salam should attend the all-party talks that bring together the rival March 8 and 14 alliances.

He also called for reviving talks on a new electoral law, supporting the military to deal with arms proliferated in several regions and addressing a national defense strategy, a reference to Hizbullah's arms.

Berri tasked lawmakers of his Development and Liberation bloc to meet with top officials and parliamentary blocs to explain to them his initiative, which he said is aimed at bringing the country's political deadlock to an end.

The bloc is expected to conclude its tour of officials later this week.