Report: Cabinet's statement result of Aoun-Berri agreement

The government’s statement on the Lebanese Army’s weapons monopolization plan reflected “the political settlement that was reached prior to the session between President Joseph Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam on one side and the Amal-Hezbollah duo on the other,” the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Saturday.

“What happened yesterday was a governmental step that made everyone act as if they are a winner,” the daily said.

It added that “the negotiations that took place between the (Shiite) Duo, the president and Army chief Rodolphe Haykal prompted the incumbent authorities to reverse the course they had carved for themselves, especially after Hezbollah and the Amal Movement mulled the idea of resigning from the government.”

“The statement that was issued was formulated a night before by Aoun and (Speaker Nabih) Berri and Salam agreed to it, which was reflected in the remarks of Berri, who said in his first comment on the resolutions that ‘things are positive,’” al-Akhbar quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Cabinet on Friday welcomed the Lebanese Army's weapons monopolization plan and decided to keep its details confidential while asking the army to submit monthly reports on its implementation, Information Minister Paul Morcos said after a key session that witnessed a walkout by all five Shiite ministers.