Finance and Budget Commission meets, triggers chain of reactions

The Finance and Budget Commission convened on Tuesday in order to continue the discussions concerning the 2012 draft budget, under the chairmanship of MP Ibrahim Kanaan. In its verdicts the Commission decided to exempt the inheritances of civil and military martyrs who died in terrorist explosions that occurred between 2005 until 2012 from transition taxes. Victims of attacks carried out by Fatah al-Islam militants and the Lebanese nationals who died in the Ethiopian plane crash, as well as the legacies of the Lebanese who were lost during the Lebanese events between 13 April 1975 and 13 October 1990 were also made exempt.         

From Parliament, MP Mohammad Qabbani stressed, following his meeting with Cypriot speaker Yannakis Omirou that the maritime borders are not subject to negotiations, adding that these borders are constant and were approved according to a law passed by Parliament. Qabbani noted that Lebanon would refer to the seventh chapter of the UN charter should its rights not be respected.           

On the other hand, MP Simon Abi Ramia responded to the doubts of MPs Qabbani and Youssef regarding the Deir Ammar tender, adding that two companies won the tender. He added that the tenders' management committee awarded these companies with a temporary concession of USD $622 million, while the Lebanese government allocated an amount of USD $500 million for the Deir Ammar station. Consequently, an amount of USD $162 million remains unobtainable.