Mikati meets BDL vice governors ahead of Cabinet session

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati met Monday at the Grand Serail with Central Bank vice governors Wassim Mansouri, Bashir Yakzan, Salim Chahine and Alexander Mouradian.

The meeting was also attended by caretaker Deputy PM Saade Chami and caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil.

“Mikati will listen to the vice governors and will present their vision to Cabinet in the session that will be held today or in another dedicated session,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

“Mikati and political forces are discussing some ideas about the possibility that the government send the vice governors’ demands to parliament through a draft law that would be devise by the government,” the daily said.

Al-Jadeed television had reported Sunday that Mikati had communicated with the vice governors and asked them to “wait on their resignation step in order to find a consensual exit.”

"Mikati is mulling the idea of a bargain with the four vice governors under which they would not resign in return for the government taking the appropriate measures to cover their work in a legal manner," al-Akhbar said.

The vice governors "might not resign, with sources close to them noting that First Vice Governor Wassim Mansouri is the one who wants to resign the most, seeing as he will be in charge of the governor's powers, whereas the other three are against resigning, each for his own reasons, be them personal, political or partisan," the daily added.