Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said today, Wednesday, that he will convene the government within days for the first time in nearly 3 months, while President Michel Aoun considered that disrupting the government’s work is a “grave mistake.”
After his meeting with Aoun, Mikati added that he informed the president that the general budget for 2022 is ready and will be received within the next two days, and as soon as it is received, the cabinet will be invited to convene.
The Lebanese Prime Minister added that the approval of the government and parliament on the general budget for 2022 is a basic requirement for the International Monetary Fund, amid talks on a support program that is essential to reviving the Lebanese economy.
He said that he believed that the government’s agenda and the presentation of the budget increase the importance of the government meeting, and ruled out that anyone would fail in his national duty.
He revealed that it was agreed with President Aoun to sign a decree to open an extraordinary session of Parliament immediately, and continued, “I consider that my meeting with Aoun today was very fruitful.”
For his part, President Aoun said in newspaper statements that disrupting the government is a grave mistake, and no party has the right to do so.
Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, refused to allow the Council of Ministers to meet since October 12, 2021, and demanded the exclusion of Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, who is investigating the explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020.
The failure of the government to meet prevented taking measures to address a crisis described by international bodies as one of the worst financial collapses in the history of the world, as the national currency recorded its lowest level ever at 30 thousand pounds to the dollar last night, thus losing 95% of its value compared to 2019.