The caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the cancellation of the Cabinet meeting that was scheduled for Monday due to new circumstances related to some attempts to drag the country into sectarian divisions to fuel conflicts. He emphasized that they bear constitutional responsibilities with a national conviction, but they will not allow themselves to be led to suicide or to anything that does not resemble their beliefs.
In a statement, he noted that the election of a president is the priority needed to complete the constitutional institutions and restore full order to the Lebanese state. This matter, which he stresses in all his stances, meetings, and gatherings, is the responsibility of the respected deputies, who are required to elect the president without delay in fulfilling this constitutional duty.
Mikati added, "However, it seems that some are trying to divert attention from their obstruction of the election process or their failure to secure the necessary consensus to complete this entitlement by again targeting the government, which is striving to ensure the continuity of public services and address key issues as much as possible within available means."
He indicated that instead of the national and political leaders taking into account the international warnings about the seriousness of the situation and uniting to complete the required treatments, emergency meetings should be activated to discuss how to navigate the dangers expressed by the International Monetary Fund.
Mikati also expressed his regret over the sectarian direction taken regarding the timing delay, confirming that the purely administrative decision aimed to relieve a section of citizens without causing harm to other groups. He said in an interview with the newspaper Annahar, "It is not true what is being exaggerated to the people about dangers and damages, as evidenced by the fact that mobile phone companies have taken appropriate measures to adjust timings according to the decision, and airlines, led by Middle East Airlines, have modified their flight schedules."
In response to a question, Mikati stated, "I called Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi in the afternoon and explained to him the reasons that necessitated the decision, which have nothing to do with any consideration that would offend any Lebanese component. However, it seems that the sectarian bidding and mobilization we witnessed led to the issuance of a statement from the Maronite Patriarchate, and we would have preferred if the matter had not been taken in any direction other than its purely administrative nature."
