Cabinet Schedules Successive Meetings Next Week to Approve State Budget
Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday devoted to discussing Lebanon's 2017 annual budget after the country failed to approve one since 2005.
The cabinet meeting was held at the Grand Serail in the absence of Sports Minister Mohammed Fneish, State Minister for Women's Affairs Jean Oghassapian, and Defense Minister Yaaqoub al-Sarraf.
“Discussions will continue on Friday and another three successive sessions have been scheduled for next week to approve the budget plan,” said Information Minister Melhem Riachi after the meeting.
“Prime Minister Saad Hariri has stressed the need to improve the levying system and to approve a state budget,” added Riachi reciting the cabinet's decisions.
Referring to a protest Tuesday evening outside al-Jadeed TV that aggravated into stone hurling and attempts to storm the building, Riachi said: “The cabinet has stressed the need to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the media. The justice minister assured that the judiciary will take action in that regard.”
Young men from AMAL Movement staged a protest outside al-Jadeed building in Beirut after the TV network was accused of “insulting” AMAL founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr.
Political rifts between Lebanon's rival political parties have obstructed an approval on a state budget since 2005.
The failure to approve a budget has exacerbated Lebanon's public debt to more than $74 billion, and sent extrabudgetary spending skyrocketing.
Before the cabinet convened, the ministers told media reports that new taxes will not imposed, appeasing concerns that any increase would burden the Lebanese further.
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