The Minister of Economy and Trade in the caretaker government, Amin Salam, discussed the financial advances for the public sector, military personnel, and retirees through "Lebanon Freedom." He stated, "We hoped that before the holidays, the issue of improving salaries for public sector employees, military personnel, and retirees would be resolved so we could enter the new year with a positive initiative. However, today 'the dish is completely cooked,' and this issue must be approved in the upcoming government session or the next one at the latest, especially since the situation can no longer bear any delay." He pointed out that "there are two solutions we must choose from, but he refused to disclose their content."
Regarding the rise in commodities due to increased shipping costs resulting from events in the Red Sea and Gaza, Salam said, "The panic among citizens is not accurate because the percentage of price increases is negligible and does not significantly impact products. The concern over rising prices is not due to this reason but rather the fear that traders might exploit all these excuses and raise prices randomly. However, we are always on alert for them, and hundreds of reports are issued by the ministry against them weekly. I hope the judiciary imposes the harshest penalties on these offenders, and that the Parliament approves the Consumer Protection Law, which has been completed and will grant us significant authority to increase fines and easily restrain violators."
In response to a question, Salam anticipated that the acting Governor of the Central Bank, Wassim Mansouri, would clarify the issue related to Circular 151 next week.
