Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a work meeting today, Wednesday, with ministers at the Grand Serail, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami and ministers: George Kallas, Ziad Makari, Hector Hajjar, Abbas Al-Haj Hassan, Ali Hamiyeh, Abbas Halabi, Youssef Khalil, Amin Salam, Bassam Mawlawi, George Boucheikian, Abdullah Bou Habib, Issam Sharafeddin, Henry Khoury, Najla Al-Riyashi, and Mustafa Berri. At the end of the meeting, Information Minister Ziad Makari stated that they "discussed Bou Habib's visit to Syria and his communications there, in addition to the situation in southern Lebanon and in occupied Palestine."
In response to a question about the altercation that occurred with the Minister of Defense and his departure at the beginning of the session, Makari explained that "the altercation was very brief, as the Minister of Defense entered and informed Mikati in his office of a specific stance that we did not know what it was. Afterward, we learned that he had objected to a letter that Mikati had sent to the Minister of Defense regarding finding solutions for the vacancy of the army command."
He clarified that "there are communications taking place between Mikati and the ministers with officials from the international organizations. We have updated Mikati on what is happening regarding the displaced persons, and in the end, if there is a deterioration in the south, there will be Lebanese and Syrian displaced persons, and these matters need solutions, which were proposed and decisions will be issued on them tomorrow."
Regarding the extension of the Army Command and security leadership, he mentioned that "the letter was a follow-up on this matter, and I reiterate that there is no final decision on the vacancy of the Army Command." He pointed out that "the issue of the participation of the ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement in upcoming sessions was raised seriously for the first time, and naturally, the ministers have demands that this matter will be followed up by the Minister of Justice with Mikati."
Minister Hajjar noted, "We discussed the issues that are the subject of dispute regarding our non-participation in Cabinet sessions. We agreed to continue the discussion in the upcoming stage, especially with our colleague, the Minister of Justice. We discussed the same issue a year ago, and if today it is essential for the government to be unified, let us adopt a logic that says those who replace the president are the 24 ministers. President Tammam Salam handled this issue over the course of two years, and today we are ready to participate in the absence of the president with the 24 ministers."
He pointed out that "there is a disagreement on this issue among some, and they use expressions that are not logical. There is a disagreement on how to manage the country in the absence of a president, which is a legitimate right. There is a difference in administration, and we have stated what it is; those who stand in for the president's absence are the 24 ministers. If this issue is resolved, we can participate tomorrow morning and engage in a dialogue on all relevant matters in the country."
**Defense Minister's Withdrawal**
In a related context, it was reported that Defense Minister Maurice Sleem and Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar withdrew from the ministerial consultative meeting, and that the Minister of Defense left the room angrily, shouting "What a disgrace."
Following the incident, Maurice Sleem's media office issued a statement explaining "the circumstances surrounding the absence of the Minister of Defense from the consultative meeting held at the Grand Serail this afternoon." The statement noted: "Just before the Minister of Defense left his office on his way to the Serail, he received an urgent correspondence from the Prime Minister titled: Proposing Measures to Avoid the Anticipated Vacancy in the Army Command. This was phrased in an unusual manner for communication between the Prime Minister and ministers, concluding with a request for the Minister of Defense to rapidly raise the necessary proposals regarding preventing the vacancy to ensure the desired stability in the army, especially in the command center, away from legal debates and accompanying discussions and opinions, as stated in the Prime Minister's correspondence."
The statement added: "The Minister of Defense noticed that the Prime Minister's message was noted to have been sent to the Minister of Justice in his capacity as acting Minister of National Defense, which is an unusual and ambiguous matter, and it also contradicts the constitution, especially since the Minister of Defense is exercising his ministerial responsibility and is not outside the country. A copy was also sent to the Army Command, knowing that they are not responsible for raising the aforementioned proposals to the Cabinet."
It continued: "Despite this correspondence and its content, which included unusual expressions of communication, the Minister of Defense went to the Serail and met with the Prime Minister to inquire about the reasons that prompted him to send the correspondence, especially since he had previously discussed the issue of filling vacancies in military positions with the Prime Minister in multiple meetings and expressed his willingness to present comprehensive proposals to fill vacancies in the Military Council and the Army Command when the issue arises. Thus, there was no need to send this correspondence, which contained phrases that do not harmonize with the relationship between the Prime Minister and ministers, especially the Minister of Defense, who showed full cooperation on several files because he is keen on the unity of the military institution and its national role, especially in the current circumstances. He does not need lessons from anyone in this regard. However, the discussion with the Prime Minister did not yield any results, especially regarding the reasons that prompted him to send this extraordinary correspondence in content and style. Consequently, the Minister of Defense left the Serail without participating in the consultative meeting."
The media office of the Minister of Defense announced that it had provided the complete and accurate information regarding what happened in the Serail and called on "various media outlets not to be drawn into narratives and leaks that do not align with reality, as the 'guardians' will be active in promoting them, as has been the case recently with regard to the same issues."
