Strong Lebanon slams 'folkloric' meetings as crisis bites

The Strong Lebanon bloc said Friday, in a statement, that it will not attend any legislative sessions before the election of a president, asking other blocs who also refused to attend parliamentary sessions to boycott the cabinet sessions as well.

The bloc also condemned the banks' open-ended strike, as he accused the caretaker prime minister and the central bank governor of attending "folkloric" meetings as people face alone dire economic situations.

Dozens of angry demonstrators had attacked several banks in Beirut on Thursday after the Lebanese pound hit a record low.

The attacks came after the Association of Banks in Lebanon declared an open-ended strike, saying the crisis was affecting the entire financial system.

On Friday, the Central Security Council convened at the Grand Serail and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked after the meeting if the activists who attacked the banks were "real depositors," suggesting that they might have received instructions to do what they did.

He had also attended a financial meeting on Thursday and said that a series of meetings will be held next week in order to take the required measures regarding the currency devaluation.