Reports: Miqati wants cabinet to pass capital control today, as IMF arrives for talks

Prime Minister Najib Miqati has made on Tuesday night a series of contacts to discuss a new format of a capital control law that will be tackled in Cabinet today, al-Liwaa newspaper said Wednesday.

The daily reported that the prime minister has contacted top officials, political leaders and ministers to discuss the new version of the law, ahead of today's session.

However, ministerial sources have said the fate of the new version can not be certain before ministers receive the draft law to study it.

Meanwhile, an International Monetary Fund delegation arrived in Beirut Wednesday for critical talks, and will meet with Miqati on Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami, who is leading Lebanon's IMF negotiation team, expressed his hope to reach a preliminary agreement within two weeks.

He said the talks have reached their final stage.

Al-Liwaa said it had learned that some ministers are planning to submit some remarks and amendments to the capital control law in order to improve it as much as possible for it to meet the requirements of the IMF.

Sources have told the daily that obstructing the capital control law in today's cabinet session would have negative repercussions and would hamper reaching a final agreement with the IMF.

The capital control had been rejected in a joint parliamentary committees' meeting on Monday. The PMS had sent it back to Cabinet, asking for a "coherent" version that government would pass and refer to Parliament.