Sleiman and Mikati reproach Minister Adnan Mansour

The Cabinet's session ended and another session will be held Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Serail to continue discussing the 2013 draft budget and the means to ensure resources for the series of ranks and salaries. 

Sleiman inaugurated Monday's session by praising the organizers of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon and the Lebanese people. I would like to commend the unified national atmosphere that must be built upon at this stage and in the future, he said.        

Throughout the session, President Sleiman and PM Mikati reproached Exterior Minister Adnan Mansour for not consulting them in his Arab League initiative regarding the movie "Innocence of Muslims".

The cabinet kept the the increases planned for ministers and MPs in the series of ranks and salaries, and referred it to the parliament.

Sleiman called on the Minister of Defense and concerned ministers to reveal information on the incident of Khirbet Daoud that took place on Monday morning in order to know who initiated the assault.        

He also urged security forces to take strict measures in this regard and to assume their role to deter the wave of abductions.       

Prior to the session, State Minister Ahmad Karami said that discussions will revolve around government revenues and the budget, while Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi pointed out that talks will feature high on the revenues for the ranks and salaries system.         

For his part, Agriculture Minister Hussain El Hajj Hassan said that the 2013 budget is similar to that of 2012 with some amendments.