The newspaper "Al-Liwaa" reports: The Saudi Ambassador, Walid al-Bukhari, begins his official meetings with a visit to President Michel Aoun in Baabda. He will then continue with visits to both President Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, confirming the Kingdom's commitment to stand by Lebanon during these difficult times. He will convey a message from King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman illustrating Saudi Arabia's dedication to its relations with Lebanon and its neutrality towards all Lebanese, in addition to a humanitarian aid program in partnership with France.
The return of Saudi Ambassador Walid al-Bukhari and Kuwaiti Ambassador Abdul Aal al-Qanaei, as well as other Gulf ambassadors, has been welcomed repeatedly by political and official figures. The Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, received the Kuwaiti ambassador, who offered congratulations for the month of Ramadan and affirmed Kuwait's support for Lebanon during its crisis. Mufti Derian appreciated the initiative taken by Kuwait, in collaboration with the Gulf foreign ministers, to restore the fraternal relations between Lebanon and the Gulf countries.
In the context of the return of Gulf ambassadors, Minister Bou Habib received the credentials of the new Qatari Ambassador, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Mohammed Saleh al-Sahlawi, in preparation for presenting them to the President.
### Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers will hold a regular session at 11 AM tomorrow at the Presidential Palace, with 29 items on its agenda, most notably: four proposed laws related to amendments to the Penal Code and the implementation of the Penal Code, an overview by the Prime Minister of the preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund, a modified draft law to amend the banking secrecy law to be distributed later to ministers, a draft law authorizing the government to borrow from the Central Bank of Lebanon, a draft decree to refer the mentioned draft law to the Parliament, a draft decree to set allowances for expatriate employees of the foreign service, and a technical presentation from the company "Khatib & Alami" regarding grain silos.
Informed political sources indicated to "Al-Liwaa" that the Cabinet will address essential files on its agenda, noting that each item might take detailed discussion, including borrowing from the Central Bank, defining allowances for foreign service employees, and utilizing special drawing rights to pay for imported flour, wheat, and medicines, as well as providing Electricité du Liban with treasury advances for maintenance and repaying debts to Arab and international institutions, and the preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
It is expected that the situation concerning this item will become clearer. The sources stated that the file regarding the agreement with the International Monetary Fund has been distributed to ministers for their remarks, especially as the points contained in it require reform laws, and it was noted that the draft law for restructuring the banking sector has not yet been prepared. As for whether the session will address the issue of diplomatic appointments, this remains uncertain depending on the existing agreements regarding the topic, noting that there are no encouraging signs for this file so far.
President Aoun emphasized yesterday the importance of "the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which would push things forward," revealing that "the train of reforms will start moving to execute the agreement, and the Fund will begin assisting us, allowing the economic cycle to restart."
The President stressed the importance of implementing the capital control law and the forensic audit, reminding everyone of the obstacles that were placed in their way and how he worked to eliminate them, revealing that "if they had been adopted about two years ago, we would have been in a better situation than we are now," affirming that there is no place for despair.
#### Diplomatic Activity
Diplomatically, ambassadors Al-Bukhari and Al-Qanaei expanded their activities yesterday with a tour of several officials. It is known that Al-Bukhari will visit Baabda today followed by Ain al-Tineh and then the Grand Serail, signaling a return to official dealings with Lebanon, thereby improving the country's situation. However, official sources hoped that this positive step towards Lebanon would be followed by lifting the measures prohibiting Lebanese agricultural and industrial products from entering Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which is expected to happen gradually as relations normalize with Gulf countries.
The ambassador visited former Prime Minister Tammam Salam at his home in Al-Musaytbeh yesterday, making only a brief statement wishing the Lebanese and the Arab and Islamic nations a blessed month.
After the meeting Salam stated: "The esteemed ambassador conveyed greetings and best wishes from the responsible brothers in the Kingdom, led by King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to all Lebanese, as the Kingdom has always maintained close relations with Lebanon, which we benefited from during significant events and historical moments where the Kingdom played a role as a helper, savior, and supporter. Today it continues to accompany the suffering of the Lebanese from all aspects."
He added: "I listened to the ambassador regarding significant efforts he conveyed in cooperation with others to assist Lebanese in their daily lives, acknowledging the substantial financial and economic crisis faced by the Lebanese who are in need of spirit, hope, and something that promises them better days under better conditions. As the populace knows, we are approaching a major democratic entitlement, the parliamentary elections, and we hope this process will represent an opportunity for change to start Lebanon and the Lebanese on better pathways than what we are experiencing today."
The Saudi ambassador hosted an iftar last night in honor of Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi and former ministers, among them Raya al-Hassan, Nihad al-Mashnouq, Marwan Charbel, Ziyad Baroud, and the Director General of Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman, along with the head of the information branch, Brigadier Khaled Hamoud. The Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, was absent due to a prior commitment to another iftar hosted by a Christian reference.
Minister Mawlawi stated after a private discussion with the Saudi ambassador: "Lebanon and the Lebanese must adhere to their conscience, the interest of their country and their Arab identity, as well as the security and safety of their brothers and the security of Saudi Arabia and all Gulf Cooperation Council countries."
He added: "We are committed to preventing any verbal or practical harm against Gulf countries, and what we do stems from our convictions and is related to our presence in our positions to serve our people and our nation, and we will continue as we believe in the Lebanese state and the stability of Lebanon and the Arab countries, considering that Arab security is collective security."
MTV reported that a 45-minute private meeting was held between Ambassador Al-Bukhari and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in the ambassador's garden after the iftar, focusing on elections and the Lebanese situation.
### Finance Committee and Government Violations
Additionally, the Finance and Budget Committee convened in the morning, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, with the presence of the Ministry of Finance to continue discussing the articles of the draft budget law for 2022. The committee demanded that the government refer taxes in a comprehensive law separate from the budget law, according to Article 81 of the Constitution.
The committee decided to invite the government to a dedicated meeting concerning the exchange rate adopted in the budget, to address the imbalances occurring in the structure of the 2022 budget. Kanaan remarked that the governments' violations of the Constitution have persisted concerning budget laws since the 1990s, and it is time for this practice to stop, for which the Lebanese people have paid dearly.
### Bread Crisis
On the livelihood front, after the President of the General Labor Union, Dr. Bashar Asmar, confirmed in a statement that "the country is currently experiencing a severe bread crisis caused by the Central Bank ceasing payments for imported wheat shipments amid the absence of strategic reserves for this material," reports indicated that the $15 million advance agreed upon the day before began to be implemented yesterday by the Central Bank, which opened the first credit line for one of the major mills, followed by another credit today. This indicates a resolution to the bread crisis in the upcoming hours.
Minister of Economy Amin Salam stated that there is no decision by the state to lift subsidies on flour, and he is keen on controlling the price of bread. Bread is expected to return to the tables of the poor during Ramadan starting from sunset this evening.
### Legal Decision on Salameh's Release
Judicially, the indictments committee in Mount Lebanon, led by Judge Pierre Francis, approved the decision to release Raja Salameh and the request to reduce the bail to 200 billion Lebanese pounds.
### Health Situation
Health-wise, COVID-19 infections continued to decrease, with the Ministry of Health recording the lowest rate of 108 infections and 5 deaths, raising the cumulative total to 1,094,911 confirmed lab-tested cases since February 21, 2020.
