Mikati says Ibrahim's extension needs law, salutes Akkar for rejecting strife
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the ministers, in a cabinet session on Monday, that cabinet cannot extend the term of General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and that the extension needs a law.
Local media had reported that Ibrahim's term might be extended through an administrative decision or a Cabinet resolution should parliament fail to hold a legislative session.
Mikati announced later that he is seeking a “legal exit” for the issue of extending the term of Ibrahim and that the move would not require a cabinet session.
At the start of Monday's session, Mikati saluted the people of Akkar "who have been wise and have shown that they reject strife" after the killing of Sunni Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmed Rifai.
Rifai was the imam of the main mosque in the northern town of Qarqaf in the impoverished northern Akkar region.
There were concerns that Rifai's case would incite sectarian tensions in the deeply-divided country since he was a harsh critic of Hezbollah as well as the Syrian government and Iran.
It turned out Rifai was killed by people from his hometown, including some relatives. They said that years ago some residents and the cleric accused one of Rifai's relatives who was Qarqaf's mayor of corruption.
During Monday's session, cabinet approved to give teachers a daily transport allowance that equals 5 liters of gas.
Public school teachers have been on strike, demanding an adjustment of their LBP salaries as the Lebanese pound has lost more than 95% of its value and the price of gas surged.
They were already underpaid before the onset of the economic crisis two years ago and have since been pushed deeper into poverty.
Their salaries in pounds are a fraction of what they used to be due to the currency's rapid devaluation.
Many cannot afford to purchase fuel to go to work after the government gradually lifted subsidies causing the price of hydrocarbons to more than quadruple within a few months.
Source: Naharnet
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