Pay scale session postponed, Mikati debunks cabinet's resignation rumor

The Cabinet has officially deferred its session which was scheduled to take place today at the Baabda palace to discuss the series of ranks and salaries.

In this context, PM Najib Mikati held a press conference at the Grand Serail and said that the cabinet is still studying funding sources for the ranks and salaries series as well as the 2013 budget.

Mikati stressed that meetings will continue until a decision regarding this issue is taken, revealing that the ministerial committee tasked to study the pay scale will be convening tomorrow.

He then added that providing the sources to finance the pay scale has been a challenging task, emphasizing that most of the sources have been found.

When asked about circulating information reporting his resignation, Mikati stated that "he can never resign in the face of challenging tasks."

Earlier, Mikati held a meeting for the ministerial committee tasked with discussing the pay scale.                        
An ordinary cabinet session was expected to be held at 4 p.m. ahead of the open ended strike that the Union Coordinating Committee (UCC) called for holding as of Tuesday the 19th of February.
On another note, LBCI sources reported that the Higher Council for Urban Planning approved the increase of real-estate investment by 25% for planned buildings.