Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri swiftly responded to a request from caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to convene a parliamentary session to discuss the issue of displaced persons. He scheduled the session for the 15th of this month to address the European grant of one billion euros, which some parliamentary blocs consider a bribe aimed at keeping Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Mikati is seeking political cover following the fierce backlash he faced and accusations of collusion with the international community. He previously stated that through the parliamentary session, he aims to halt the political exploitation occurring in the country regarding this issue at the expense of public interest.
It appears that a significant number of parliamentary blocs plan to participate in this session, including a large portion of the opposition that has boycotted most legislative sessions Berri previously called for following the vacancy in the presidency. They deem it inappropriate to legislate in the absence of the head of state and believe the parliament's role should be limited to electing a president. These forces justify their participation in this session by stating it will be a discussion rather than legislative in nature.
A parliamentary source from the Lebanese Forces bloc told "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the intention is to participate in the session, considering that the parliament has both legislative and oversight roles, and today’s matter falls under the oversight framework. He pointed out that the bloc's MPs will question Mikati about the details of the grant and will express their refusal for any part of the grant to support Syrians who are illegally present in Lebanese territory.
For her part, MP Paula Yacoubian confirmed that the six MPs from the "Change" bloc (Ibrahim Mneimneh, Yassine Yassine, Melhem Khalaf, Firas Hamdan, Najat Saliba, and Yacoubian) are also planning to participate in this session. In a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat," she emphasized the need for clarification on whether what we are dealing with is a grant or a loan, noting that there is an agreement that no one has seen, and it is unclear what they signed. Consequently, Yacoubian directed a question to the government via the parliament speaker regarding the constitutional or legal basis upon which the Prime Minister acted to negotiate and approve the proposed one billion euro package from the European Union to Lebanon, and whether this matter was presented to the cabinet for approval.
Meanwhile, the Free Patriotic Movement, whose delegation is meeting with Mikati, Berri, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the European Union to inquire about the one billion euro grant, is also heading towards participating in the session, as confirmed by a parliamentary source within the movement to "Asharq Al-Awsat."
MP Simon Abi Ramia from the Strong Lebanon Bloc stated that on April 17, he had urged Speaker Nabih Berri to summon the parliament to convene in order to review the government's plan regarding the return of Syrian refugees. He reiterated this request three times, adding that Berri's decision to invite lawmakers to the session on Wednesday, May 15, is commendable, especially following the suspicious visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Abi Ramia noted that next Wednesday's meeting aims to ensure that the Lebanese people are fully aware of the facts, so as not to be false witnesses in history, akin to what transpired during the signing of the Cairo Agreement, which dragged Lebanon into a major catastrophe.
Participation from other main blocs, notably Hezbollah, Amal, and the Progressive Socialist Party, is confirmed, as they have not boycotted any session previously called by Berri. Lawyer Paul Marqas, the head of the Justitia Foundation, clarified that the session convened by Berri can exclusively be a discussion session, wherein the government will be questioned about the details of the grant and the content of what has been proposed regarding it. He added that the parliament could also vote on a draft law that would compel the government not to accept this specific grant or impose criteria, conditions, and regulations for accepting grants, in addition to those stipulated by the Public Accounting Law.
