Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi received Prime Minister Najib Mikati this morning in Bakirkh. After the meeting, the Prime Minister stated: "I was pleased to meet His Eminence and wished him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We exchanged discussions on various topics, especially the situations the country is experiencing and how to address them. The essential treatment, in the opinion of His Eminence and mine, begins with electing a President of the Republic to restore order to the country. This topic is at the top of the priorities and the beginning of the solution, especially since all indicators in the past period have shown the country's re-emergence from all aspects. It is not very difficult for Lebanon to recover faster than we expect, but the solution begins with electing a new President of the Republic."
He added: "I spoke with His Eminence about the governmental situation and confirmed to him that our goal, since the vacancy in the presidency, until a new president is elected, is not to monopolize or dominate or take the powers of the President of the Republic, but to do the necessary work to manage the affairs of the nation and the citizens, especially since everyone witnesses that we are keen on national balance and preserving the rights of all components of the Lebanese people and society."
He continued, "We also discussed the situation in the south, and I explained to His Eminence what is happening and confirmed that the solution exists, which is the implementation of international resolutions, including the 'Armistice Agreement' between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, Resolution 1701, and all international resolutions. We are prepared to commit to implementation, provided that the Israeli side abides by the laws and international resolutions and withdraws from the occupied territories. On this occasion, I expressed to His Eminence my appreciation for his visit to the south to learn about the conditions of the residents. We are following up on this matter and assisting as much as possible those who still remain in their land or those who have been displaced to other areas."
Mikati stated: "We also talked about the army issue and emphasized that the army belongs to all Lebanese and represents itself by its performance everywhere and at any time to serve Lebanon. We also addressed the circumstances surrounding the extension of the army commander and how the outcome was beneficial for stability within the military institution. Regarding filling vacancies within the army, we discussed the Minister of Defense's visit to the Saraya yesterday, and I was completely astonished by what he said today. The meeting, which started tensely, ended amicably and with an agreement, and there were witnesses to that. However, it seems that the minister was advised to change his opinions after the meeting, as reported in the newspapers, and I know who advised him because what happened during the meeting differs from the statements he made later."
He concluded: "We also touched on the living issues, and I informed His Eminence that we are in the process of conducting a comprehensive study and are committed to reviewing the production allowance and correcting salaries for the public sector, security, military personnel, and retirees, but we are committed to a certain ceiling of spending to avoid any disruption in the exchange rate."
