Miqati Chairs Ministerial Committee Meeting with Clash Over Energy Minister

Today, Monday, the ministerial committee in the Ministry of Energy, chaired by Prime Minister Najib Miqati, is meeting. The agenda includes a single item, which is the committee's stance and Miqati's position on a decision made by Energy Minister Walid Fayad to import fuel without the approval of the caretaker government. This action should not have taken place, as fuel is available in tanks that were previously full, and prior consent from the government is required. Fayad has imported a full ship costing 32 million dollars, and he has also contacted another ship at sea containing fuel, valued at 52 million dollars. The government does not have the funds for unloading the first ship or the second. The Energy Minister violated government decisions and requested that the fuel from the first ship, worth 130 million dollars, not be tested. The Energy Ministry incurs a delay penalty of 90,000 dollars per day, which later increases to 180,000 dollars daily. Prime Minister Miqati responded to a question regarding Fayad's decisions by stating, "There are limits to patience."