REPORT: Cabinet postpones discussions over Ogero for 15 days

A Cabinet meeting was held on Thursday at the Grand Serail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

 

Seventeen ministers attended the session amid the absence of the Kataeb party’s ministers who resigned two days ago.

 

During the session, the ministers postponed discussions over the OGERO Telecoms file for 15 days.

 

The cabinet also entrusted Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb to prepare a detailed report over Ogero and the powers of Ogero head Abdel Menhem Youssef.

 

On another note, Minister of Interior Nouhad Machnouq noted that the security warnings issued by foreign embassies in Lebanon “are old,” adding that the embassies regularly take preventive measures.

 

For his part, Minister of Agriculture Akram Chehayeb said that the resignation of the Kataeb’s ministers “is politically motivated,” adding that the fight against corruption should start from inside the Cabinet.

Prior to the session, Interior Minister Machnouq confirmed that “there is no new information about the bombing, which targeted the headquarters of BLOM Bank in Beirut, adding that it will be discussed during today’s meeting.

A bomb exploded outside the headquarters of Lebanese BLOM Bank in central Beirut last Sunday, causing damage but no fatalities.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Lebanese banking sector has been at the center of an escalating crisis since the United States passed a law requiring banks to take steps to target the finances of the armed Shi'ite political group Hezbollah.

Lebanon's central bank has pushed its commercial banks to heed the U.S. act, and BLOM Bank is one of those that have closed accounts belonging to people suspected of links to Hezbollah. The group had no immediate comment on the blast.

The Lebanese Red Cross said two people had suffered minor injuries in the blast, which took place around 8 p.m. in the Verdun area of Beirut.

The building was damaged, with one hole in a concrete wall, and shattered glass had fallen to the ground from several storeys up.

On Tuesday, ministers belonging to the Kataeb Party, Economy Minister Alain Hakim and Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi, submitted their resignations.

 

Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel said he no longer saw the point of participating in a “corrupt” and “failed” government. He added the Cabinet cared only about passing “suspicious deals” at the expense of the Treasury.