Cabinet Discusses Budget, Bassil Denies Jumblat’s Remarks on Electricity Plan

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil denied on Tuesday Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat’s recent remarks that proposals by certain Arab states to fund the Energy Ministry’s electricity plan have been rejected.

He said during cabinet session: “These remarks are untrue.”

Jumblat had asked during his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine on Monday: “Where are those who lecture on a daily basis on reform and combating corruption? Is it true that Arab funds proposed to fund the electricity plan and it rejected it?”

Cabinet convened on Tuesday at the presidential palace in Baabda. Headed by President Michel Suleiman, the session tackled the 2012 draft state budget that was prepared by Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi.

Briefing reporters after the session, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said “ministers will submit their suggestions concerning the draft state budget within a week, and after the submittal of all observations work groups will be set up in order to scrutinize each issue separately.”

Asked whether the issue of Syrian abductees was raised during the session, Daouq said: “The draft budget was the only item on the cabinet’s agenda and according to my information the relevant judicial authorities are addressing the issue.”