Informed sources told Al-Joumhouria that Prime Minister Najib Mikati is preparing to head to Munich this Wednesday leading a delegation that includes Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib and several advisors to participate in the 61st edition of the Munich Security and Cooperation Conference since its inception in 1963. This year, the conference is dedicated to discussing international crises in light of current events in occupied Palestine and southern Lebanon, and their repercussions extending to the Red Sea, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Additionally, the agenda will cover major international issues including the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, which was the focus of last year's conference, and the associated developments.
The conference preceding this one was focused on the Russian military arrangements taking place around Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea, just days before the announcement of war. The conference will also address other topics pertinent to international security and peace, including climate issues, relations between the West and the East, potential confrontations in the South China Sea, as well as the disruptions to global energy supplies in light of sanctions imposed on certain countries, particularly affecting Russia's and Iran's oil and gas exports, along with the hindrances posed by situations in the Red Sea to international trade.
As a result, the Prime Minister's absence until the end of the week rules out the possibility of holding a Cabinet session. The scheduling will depend on arrangements made to meet the demands of public sector employees, both civilian and military, in ministries, public institutions, and pensioners. Following the government's postponement of decisions regarding these increases, the governmental and finance ministries are set to host a series of meetings this week with representatives from the army leadership, internal security forces, and retirees, with the participation of interested ministers, as announced by the Prime Minister at the beginning of last week's Cabinet session, guaranteeing efforts for solutions that would benefit all public sector workers, both military and civilian, as well as retirees.
It is well known that a set of proposals has begun to be discussed, prompting several administrative bodies and military retirees to suspend their protest activities.
