The cabinet decided to disassociate itself from the conflict matters, noting that any visit to Syria will not come upon a decision from the government.
Following the cabinet session, Information Minister Melhem Riachi said the ministers decided to contribute with $1 million for the Asia Basketball Cup, since it is not an official championship.
During the session, the ministers’ visits to Syria were tackled.
The cabinet had convened Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail with an agenda of 34 items.
Prior to the session, Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani stressed that “the Lebanese army’s battle against the Islamic State will be tackled during the meeting,” noting that the decision pertaining to the timing and quality of work remains in the hands of the Lebanese army’s command.
“There is no need to coordinate with any other party, neither Hezbollah nor the Syrian authorities,” he added.
Commenting on the issue of the ministers’ visit to Syria, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan pointed out that he will be visiting Syria as an industry minister to conduct meetings, stating that the relations between Lebanon and Syria are still existent.
In turn, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil asked: “Hadn’t the cabinet appointed just recently a Lebanese ambassador to Syria?”
For his part, Labor Minister Mohammad Kabbara said that the ministers can visit Syria on a personal level, but they will not be representing the government.
On another note, Social Affairs Minister Pierre Bou Assi said that after all the reports concerning al-Abdeli terror cell in Kuwait, they will propose the formation of a ministerial committee to visit Kuwait and eliminate any flaw in the bilateral relations.
Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh withdrew from the session while he was angry, without revealing the cause.