The country's main Christian parties intensified their consultations on Tuesday to coordinate stances ahead of a controversial legislative session that is scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday.
“We cannot overlook the absence of the electoral law from the session's agenda,” Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after meeting Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel in Saifi.
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc noted Tuesday that draft laws that are of “utmost importance” are on the agenda of the legislative session scheduled for Thursday and Friday, urging all political forces to “preserve both economic security and national unity.”
“The approval of these draft laws would spare Lebanon and the Lebanese a bitter cup,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hinted Tuesday that the exportation of garbage has become the only solution to the growing trash disposal crisis as he traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend an Arab-South American summit.
“The cost of exportation might be high and its technical requirements might not be easy, but should we manage to do it, the temporary step would only span a year and a half … pending the approval of a permanent plan,” Salam told reporters aboard the plane that carried him to Riyadh.

Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun stressed Tuesday that the electoral law must be put on the agenda of the upcoming legislative session, warning that his bloc will take “strong and decisive measures” Wednesday over the issue.
“The agenda is not limited to financial legislation, contrary to the agreement that we made when we discussed the legislation of necessity,” said Aoun after the bloc's weekly meeting, referring to the legislative session that will be held on Thursday and Friday.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Tuesday against “manipulating” the Taef Accord, the country's post-civil war constitution, amid controversy over the constitutionality of a legislative session that is poised to be held amid an expected boycott by the main Christian blocs.
Speaking after a meeting in Maarab with a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Geagea noted that the banking sector “has always been a main staple of Lebanon's economy, especially in recent years.”
Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr charged three people with cooperating with Israel, two of them are in custody and one is at large, the state-run National News Agency said on Tuesday.
Two of the suspects are in custody while the third one is currently residing in the Palestinian territories.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim stressed that the security forces' pursuit of takfiri threats has not distracted it from confronting agents who are collaborating with Israel, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Tuesday.
He told the daily: “The General Security is combating terrorism, through its takfiri and Israeli guises.”

Head of the Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed on Tuesday the importance of approving a number of financial draft-laws during the upcoming legislative session, saying that he understands the position of the Kataeb Party regarding boycotting the meeting.
He said after holding talks with Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel: “We will attend the session because there are pressing financial issues that we need to address.”
Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri is expected to make a much-anticipated return to Lebanon soon, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.
It said that Hariri will return to the country “within five weeks at most.”

Political tensions have increased in recent days over the upcoming legislative session as various parties struggle to agree on its agenda and gather the required quorum to hold it, reported daily An Nahar on Tuesday.
A prominent figure told the daily that the situation has reached such a point that “street action has not been ruled out over the possible absence of Christian blocs from the session.”
