Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a ministerial consultative meeting at the Grand Serail, attended by 12 ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Chami, Abbas Halabi, Mohammad Wissam Mortada, Johnny Qarm, Ziad Makkari, Hector El-Shaar, Walid Nassar, George Bouchikian, Bassam Mawlawi, Abbas Haj Hassan, Nasser Yassine, and Najla Riachi.
After the meeting, Minister Abbas Halabi stated: "Some of the fellow ministers wished that the Prime Minister would hold a consultative session in the afternoon, hence a number of ministers gathered. Some were unable to attend, and others were informed late. It was a friendly and consultative session to discuss what was addressed earlier. There are two viewpoints: one says that the government can address the urgent issues facing the country, as it acts as a proxy for the President of the Republic. The other viewpoint, expressed by one minister in the morning, argues that we should refrain from calling a Cabinet meeting.
It was affirmed that what governs the work of the Cabinet and the constitutional institutions in the country is the Constitution and the operational mechanism for the Cabinet outlined in a decree issued by the Cabinet. We apply this principle, and consultation will take place with the hesitant and opposing members. The Prime Minister is the head of the family and is keen on maintaining a familial atmosphere and friendships in the interest of the country.
We may be invited early next week to another consultative session before any Cabinet meeting convenes because the aim is to manage affairs without infringing on anyone's rights, especially in the absence of the President. Therefore, we wished for the Prime Minister to continue this process together and invite the political parties to solve the issue and elect a President for the Republic as soon as possible."
Regarding those absent from the meeting, he said: "It seems they hold the viewpoint that this government cannot, by proxy, assume the powers of the President, and there is also the consideration that this government is resigned. It is certainly a viewpoint, but the country cannot be left without a government, and this government is constitutionally mandated to continue managing urgent and limited affairs." On the timing of the next session, he said: "When urgent and pressing issues accumulate," but the session has not yet been scheduled.
