Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a Cabinet meeting this morning at the Grand Serail, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami, Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil, Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, Minister of Youth and Sports George Kallas, Minister of Agriculture Abbas Al-Haj Hassan, Minister of Administrative Development Affairs Naglaa Al-Riyashi, Minister of Health Firas Al-Abyad, Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi, Minister of Information Ziad Al-Makari, Minister of Education Judge Abbas Halabi, Minister of Communications Johnny Al-Qurm, Minister of Industry George Bou Shakian, Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram, and Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar.
At the beginning of the session, the Prime Minister stated: "Our presence today in this session is to manage the urgent affairs of the citizens and to ensure the continuation of public facilities, affirming that we care for every Lebanese, their dignity, safety, and stability, and we will not miss the opportunity to cooperate with everyone concerned to rescue the economic situation and protect bank deposits and financial stability."
He added, "Regarding the judiciary, we have previously confirmed in our ministerial statement our respect for the judiciary and non-interference in any matters related to its affairs. However, there are issues regarding the higher Lebanese interest and the judiciary's path that affect the course of justice. We have taken a specific action that only the judiciary itself can address, and when the judiciary purifies itself from impurities and addresses deviations, the need for the decision we made will be eliminated, which I consulted all relevant judges about beforehand."
He continued, "In exceptional circumstances, exceptional decisions must be made, and no one should think that we are protecting an individual or individuals. Our goal is to protect the banking sector, as it is a fundamental pillar of the economy; thus, we want this sector to be purified and its issues resolved through the proposed law for the restructuring of banks, which we submitted to Parliament."
Mikati emphasized that "the priority remains the election of the President of the Republic, as this election is the gateway to restoring regular public work, especially in these difficult circumstances, and providing the country with a grace period to revive it."
He said, "This week, I met with Total, which confirmed that its work is proceeding as planned and scheduled, and that they are about to start all necessary tests to commence extraction operations."
He added, "Our agenda also includes a item related to granting public administration productivity compensation, and in this context, I want to address retirees, especially military personnel, to confirm our commitment to granting them their rights, in accordance with the authority granted to us by Parliament and based on a Cabinet decision, as the Minister of Finance has met with the director general of the employees’ cooperative to discuss enhancing benefits."
The Prime Minister said, "Lebanon is rich in its diversity and pluralism, and following the television interview I conducted, comments were made out of context, knowing that the issue was raised in the context of an ordinary question. I believe that Lebanon's richness lies in its diversity, and no one should feel as if there is a plan to marginalize the role of any Lebanese component or undermine it. Our coexistence is one, and our customs are unified, and the Lebanese are families and communities that complement each other spiritually and nationally, outside the logic of numbers, and we take pride in the quality of Lebanon in its diversity."
He added, "Last week, a very unfortunate incident occurred in the north, and I must here pay tribute to the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, especially the Information Branch, for the effort they made to quickly uncover all circumstances with professionalism. I also extend my respects to the people of Akkar who showed complete awareness and rejection of the strife that could have occurred. We also ask God to have mercy on Sheikh Ahmad Al-Rifai. We commend the operation carried out by the army yesterday to free one of the kidnapped individuals, and the qualitative operation carried out last week, during which soldiers of the army fell as martyrs."
He concluded, "Finally, I wish a blessed fast to Christians, and may God accept their prayers and supplications, and let us together draw inspiration from the values of this spiritual time."
The Minister of Information announced the resolutions of the session, stating, "First, I would like as Minister of Information to say something regarding the tragic incident in Akkar: it is regrettable that some media figures and tweeters are throwing accusations haphazardly in a situation that the country cannot tolerate at all. As for the procedures, no one can take actions; the actions reflect their ethics."
He added, "There were eight items on the Cabinet's agenda: The first item was the Minister of Finance's request for approval to collect revenues, as before, and to spend expenses from February 1, 2023, until the issuance of the budget for the year 2023 based on the twelfth clause, and it was approved."
The second, third, and fourth items concerning compensations, including employee productivity compensation, were postponed, and a crisis cell was formed in the Ministry of Finance to study the issue from various scientific aspects while ensuring the minimum requirements for work in the public sector and the public finances in line with the funds that are supposed to be spent as assistance and compensations.
In response to a question regarding the approval of the item related to teachers, which involves allocating 5 liters of gasoline as a transport allowance, Minister Al-Makari stated: "This issue, which has sparked considerable debate, has been pursued. We said that it is not acceptable for one ministry to receive this, but all ministries should, so a cell was formed to study the matter and the number of eligible employees. A session will soon be allocated to the Cabinet to address this matter."
He continued: "The fifth item: The draft decree aims to reduce customs tariff rates according to the harmonized system, and exemption for drugs has been approved. The sixth item regarding the draft decree to grant a treasury advance of 469 billion Lebanese pounds to Ogero to enable it to pay the salaries and wages of its employees in the first half of 2023 has been approved."
The seventh item regarding the request of the Ministry of Communications for the Ministry to receive approval to continue working according to the established mechanism before the issuance of the General Budget Law 2022 has been approved. The eighth item: The Cabinet approved the request of the Higher Relief Committee to complete the survey of damaged and uninhabitable buildings as a result of the earthquake or natural factors by municipalities and provide an advance of 100 billion Lebanese pounds for housing for the units that the inspection committees recommend evacuating, with the housing allowance being determined at 30 million Lebanese pounds for a period of three months, covering each inhabited and affected residential unit classified as uninhabitable, in addition to asking public administrations to inspect their own facilities and submit a detailed report on the matter to the Higher Relief Committee."
In response to a question about how disbursements would be made, he said: "We are in an exceptional situation, and we should continue working. The circumstances are not good, and disbursement will be based on a governmental decision."
The Minister of Information said: "The Cabinet approved, outside the agenda, the appointment of assistant professors and lecturers in the Lebanese University teaching staff, relying on Law 278 dated March 7, 2022, and they number about 66 professors born in 1957, 1958, 1959."
He added: "The Cabinet also approved the proposal of the Minister of Education and Higher Education to grant members of the teaching staff in public schools and vocational institutions, both permanent and contracted, a daily transport allowance of 5 liters of gasoline according to a mechanism to be issued by a joint decision between the Ministers of Finance, Education, and Energy. The Cabinet approved a loan contract of 50 million dollars at an interest rate of 4 percent, allocated to pay outstanding amounts to international organizations. Finally, the Cabinet approved the opening of the tourism organization's office in Beirut, with a request to bring this item up in the next Cabinet session."
When asked if President Mikati seemingly read a farewell speech for Major General Abbas Ibrahim during the session, he replied: "President Mikati did not read a farewell speech but discussed the merits and contributions of Major General Ibrahim to the nation, stating that an exit for an extension should be made according to law, as the Cabinet cannot do anything."
Regarding the anticipated mechanism and who will succeed him in the department, he said: "We did not explicitly discuss the mechanism, but it is settled with President Mikati that there is no solution within the Cabinet."
When asked if the Minister of Interior talked about the matter, he replied: "The Minister of Interior did not speak on this issue, and in my opinion, this matter is not related to the Cabinet, but has become an administrative procedure at the hands of the Minister of Interior."
When asked if that means the ball is now in the court of the Minister of Interior to call him from the reserve, he answered, "I have no information on what the Minister of Interior might do, and I am telling you what happened in the Cabinet."
When asked if the Minister of Interior has the right to call him from the reserve, he replied: "Honestly, I do not know."
When asked why the traffic item related to military personnel was postponed, he replied: "Because the goal is to provide transport allowances to all state employees without exception, and all ministers have called for this. Hence, I tasked the finance ministry's crisis cell with preparing a study of all state employees, including the military forces, so this matter will be settled within two weeks."
