Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the convening of a special Cabinet session on the 17th of this month, with the primary agenda item being a discussion on the challenges facing the upcoming school and university year concerning public schools and the Lebanese University, along with another item related to road maintenance and cleaning. Mikati requested Finance Minister Youssef Khalil to make the necessary communications for taking all actions that facilitate the work of the Central Bank of Lebanon and to find an appropriate formula for approving what needs to be approved as quickly as possible, keeping the Cabinet updated with the results.
Media Minister in the caretaker government, Ziad Makari, during the reading of the Cabinet's decisions at the Grand Serail, indicated that it was decided to assign Minister of Economy in the caretaker government Amin Salam to take all necessary actions to purchase a quantity of wheat in accordance with a previously agreed loan with the World Bank. The Cabinet also approved a proposal by the Minister of Communications to adjust the tariffs for some phone services.
Makari added that Mikati received during the session reports from the companies "Oliver Wyman" and "KPMG" appointed by the Lebanese government to conduct financial and accounting audits of the Central Bank's accounts, and he asked the General Secretariat of the Cabinet to distribute copies of the reports to the ministers. The Cabinet continued studying the draft budget law and approved a draft decree aimed at promoting some members of the educational staff outside the agenda and including some permanent contracted employees into the workforce.
In the same context, Minister of Communications in the caretaker government, Johnny Al-Qurm, announced after the Cabinet session at the Grand Serail chaired by Mikati, that "the tariffs for fixed calls and internet services from Ogero have increased sevenfold."
**Ain el-Hilweh**
Regarding Ain el-Hilweh, Prime Minister Najib Mikati reaffirmed, during a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, that "it is not permissible or acceptable for Palestinian factions to consider Lebanese territory as lawless, leading them to engage in this bloody fighting that terrifies the Lebanese people, especially those in the south who have embraced Palestinians for many years." Mikati reiterated his demand for Palestinian leaders to halt the fighting, which constitutes a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty, especially since Lebanese people who have always supported the Palestinian cause were horrified by this fighting occurring on their land, for which they have previously paid dearly.
Mikati stressed that "the army, along with other Lebanese security forces, will perform the necessary role to restore security and end the fighting." He also made two calls to this end to Executive Committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Azzam Al-Ahmad, and to the Palestinian ambassador, Ashraf Dabbour. Mikati received a call from the political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.
**Finance Minister's Comments**
In response to a question about discussions regarding the borrowing law in the Cabinet, the Finance Minister denied it. He addressed the delivery of important economic and financial documents from "KPMG" and "Oliver Wyman." He noted that "Wyman" is significant in the economic world, and Lebanon utilized its services when searching for a new plan, along with assistance from the International Monetary Fund and Lazard, but these documents are unrelated to Alvarez's company that conducted a criminal investigation. He highlighted that "Wyman" conducted a financial investigation into the economic situation in Lebanon at the time, and now deputies and ministers can access these documents.
In response to a question about salaries and the inability to secure them, he stated, "We are doing everything we can to secure salaries and have never faltered. We are making every effort toward that, but regarding the question of salaries on the 'Sayraffa' platform, we need to sit down with the Central Bank to see in which direction things will go."
**Education Minister's Update**
Education and Higher Education Minister Abbas Halabi provided the public with updates regarding what professors and employees at the Lebanese University have accomplished:
1. Confirming contracts for trainers and professors, which have been officially issued by the Cabinet.
2. Incorporating retired professors into the workforce, which is their right, albeit delayed.
3. Securing 150 billion Lebanese lira for the university professors' solidarity fund.
4. Providing a financial incentive to the university to enable it to complete its academic year.
5. The most important file is incorporating full-time professors into the university's workforce, a decision made by the Cabinet, fulfilling a request that has spanned nearly nine years and now includes around 956 professors, assistants, and lecturers across all university faculties. This has been a historical demand for all professors and represents a pioneering step towards strengthening the university's status and its educational staff.
