Miqati’s Sources Say Appointments to Take Course, Reject Bickering

Sources close to Premier Najib Miqati said Sunday that the appointments of civil servants would take back their course after they caused the suspension of cabinet sessions on Feb. 1.

In remarks to An Nahar newspaper, the sources said that Miqati is working on speeding the process of appointments through meetings with the Civil Service Council.

They hoped that all sides represented in the cabinet would facilitate the process and overcome the bickering to pave way for “productive work” and to fill the vacant seats in state institutions.

Miqati suspended cabinet sessions on Feb. 1 after he bickered with ministers loyal to Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun who accused him of naming candidates for posts reserved for Christians without consulting them.

The sources also announced their backing for the formation of a parliamentary-ministerial committee that would seek to find a solution to the dispute between the March 8 and 14 coalitions on the extra-budgetary spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri and the current cabinet.

Miqati has named three ministers to represent the government in the committee, the sources told An Nahar, stressing that “the current stage requires the coordination of all sides … to fill any gap that would threaten the country’s stability.”