The caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, called for “the swift election of a president, stating that we are not in the habit of creating problems. What we do is to preserve institutions and serve the people, facilitating urgent matters. We are against disruption and in favor of continuous productivity.” He welcomed the French presidential envoy, Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and noted France’s support but emphasized that the basis remains in the cooperation of all Lebanese leaders to achieve the presidential mandate and collaborate for the country’s advancement.
During a speech at the cabinet session, Mikati addressed questions from the recent parliamentary session about the budget and its submission timeline. He mentioned that the Finance Ministry, under the diligent follow-up of the minister, is making substantial efforts to finalize the budget law before the end of the month to send it to the ministers, paving the way for continuous meetings to approve it. He reiterated that some would immediately launch a campaign against the government after the budget is approved, under the well-known slogan claiming that the government lacks the authority to approve the budget, despite these same individuals asking about it today.
Mikati expressed hope for an end to “political negativity and ongoing obstruction,” saying, “Some ministers continue to boycott cabinet sessions for political reasons while fulfilling their daily tasks in their ministries, conducting business, and sending correspondence to the General Secretariat requesting the inclusion of their ministry files on the cabinet agenda for consideration. Each time we overlook the absence of a minister for file discussions in the cabinet because our goal is to manage people’s affairs, especially considering that the spirit of the last Constitutional Council decision regarding the rejection of the appeal against the extension law for municipal and discretionary councils affirmed the principle of the continuity of public services of constitutional value. The orderly functioning of constitutional institutions is fundamental to public order in the state, and institutional void contradicts the purpose for which the constitution was established, threatens the system with collapse, and plunges the country into uncertainty.”
Mikati pointed out that “since the last session, we have been following through the media on the contentious exchanges between the Ministers of Tourism and Economy concerning Expo Qatar, and I had hoped that this matter would remain behind closed doors after we had agreed to reach a suitable formula acceptable to all.” He urged the ministers to “close this chapter because what matters is that the government’s work is beneficial and the Lebanese presence is effective in all forums and represented with the utmost excellence, away from pointless disputes.”
**Cabinet Resolutions**
The cabinet approved most items on the agenda, including the item for the regularization of civil defense volunteers and promotions. It also canceled this year's intermediate certificate examinations. Education Minister Abbas Halabi stated, “It seems there are logistical difficulties with security forces, thus we made this decision; however, funds have been secured for secondary exams.”
**Expo Qatar**
Regarding the dispute between the Economy and Tourism Ministers about Expo Qatar, Acting Economy Minister Amin Salam affirmed that the country's interests surpass those of all ministers, stating that Lebanon will participate in "Expo Qatar" with a strong representation alongside everyone. He indicated that the Ministry of Economy will be responsible for following up on this matter.
In response, Tourism Minister Walid Nassar requested Salam to "retract his defamatory comments not based on any reality, under the threat of legal action." He reflected that “some media are preoccupied with Lebanon's participation in Expo Qatar, focusing on the dispute stirred by the Minister of Economy to the extent that some even adopted Salam’s claims of appointing me to manage the exhibition for personal motives. As a Minister in a government, I convened and decided literally: to authorize naming the administrative body required from the organizing party according to established protocols by the Expo Qatar 2023 management. (Item four of Cabinet Decision No. 36).”
Emphasizing his commitment to the interests of Lebanon and its people, Nassar issued a decision designating the General Director of Agriculture and the General Director of Economy to sign the contract with Expo Qatar, achieving the desired outcome by having them sign the contract, followed by a statement expressing gratitude to them, the Cabinet, and the State of Qatar.
Nassar asserted that “once the signing occurred, Lebanon's participation in this significant agricultural global event, which is of importance to Lebanon, was secured. He was never clinging to any assignment but is certainly committed to not accepting any affront to his person, dignity, or credibility from anyone.”
He considered it “the Cabinet's duty to correct the course and respect dignities not on the basis that the wolf does not die nor does the sheep perish, but rather by enforcing respect and ensuring the non-acceptance of harm to dignity, for the dignity of the Cabinet is tied to the dignity of its members. Any acceptance by the Cabinet of an affront to the dignity of one of its ministers amounts to acceptance of an affront to itself, undermining its credibility towards everyone.”
**Promotions**
Immediately after the Cabinet session, Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati signed the decrees concerning the promotions of officers in the military, Internal Security Forces, General Security, and State Security, from the rank of Colonel to Brigadier General, effective from 1/1/2020, 1/7/2020, 1/1/2021, 1/7/2021, 1/1/2022, and 1/7/2022, in addition to the decrees on the promotion schedule and the promotions of colonels for the year 2023. The Prime Minister also signed the promotion schedule and promotion decrees for the year 2023 for all security forces listed in the General Directorate of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
