Miqati, March 8 Ministers Intensify Contacts Ahead of Cabinet Session
A meeting was held on Friday away from the media spotlight between Premier Najib Miqati, Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, the political aide of the Hizbullah leader, Hussein Khalil, and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.
The meeting between Miqati and the three men from the March 8 majority coalition was aimed at averting a government crisis after Miqati gave an ultimatum to cabinet ministers to resolve the controversial funding of state projects by next Wednesday.
The talks at the Grand Serail was preceded by a meeting between Hizbullah, Amal movement and Free Patriotic Movement ministers.
Sources close to Miqati told An Nahar that efforts are being exerted not to just solve the financial dispute but to give the government a new impetus and activate its work.
Contacts between the different sides in the government are expected to intensify before the next cabinet session that is set to be held at Baabda palace.
Bassil told al-Joumhouria daily that he also expected intense discussions ahead of Wednesday session.
Miqati’s ultimatum came after Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi proposed the allocation of 100 million dollars as treasury loans to carry out development projects in their hometown of Tripoli in the North.
Although several March 8 ministers approved the plan, they rejected the implementation of the projects through treasury loans, saying that was an illegal move.
The dispute drew the ire of Miqati, who said the government should settle the funding of state projects by Wednesday.
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