Cabinet session comes to an end, talks on electricity deferred

Commenting on the issue of civil marriage in Lebanon, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Tuesday that there was no need to engage in “useless debates” in light of the country’s current circumstances, adding “this issue is not on the table at the time being.”       

Mikati, who returned this morning from Jeddah where he participated in the third Arab Social and Economic Development Summit, pointed out that Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz was very understanding of the Lebanese government’s stance towards events in Syria.     

While chairing the cabinet’s regular session at the Grand Serail, Mikati stressed that the draft electoral law put forward by the government is a “valid platform for a constructive discussion.”      

As soon as he arrived to Lebanon, Mikati contacted both President Michel Sleiman and House Speaker Nabih Berri to brief them on the results of his meetings in Riyadh.

On another note, exclusive sources told LBCI that the cabinet discussed the recent attack against Minister Faisal Karami.

In turn, Minister of State Marwan Kheireddine quoted Charbel as saying that one person involved in the attack against Minister Karami  has been arrested.

During a protest held by relatives of the Islamists detained in the Roumieh Prison on Friday, a vehicle in Minister Faysal Karami’s convoy caught fire in the Tall area after unidentified persons threw a bomb towards it. Minister Karami's Media Office reported that gunfire and a bomb targeting the minister’s convoy caused the injury of 4 body guards

37 items were tackled in today's session including the demand of the Foreign Affairs Ministry to establish an embassy in the Philippines and a consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra as well as the demand of the Ministries of Agriculture, Public Works, and Health to recruit staff where needed.

The session came to an end with the issue pertaining to power and electricity deferred until the next session.

In this context, sources reported to LBCI that Energy Minister Gebran Bassil rejected a proposal suggesting equal power rationing between Beirut and the other Lebanese regions.