Electricity Project Details to be Discussed Monday before Decisive Action
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.
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