Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab chaired on Monday morning at the Grand Serail a meeting devoted to discussing World Bank projects in Lebanon, in the presence of Ministers Zeina Akar, Ghazi Wazni, Ramzi Musharrafieh, and Tarek Majzoub, in addition to World Bank Regional Director for the Middle East, Saroj Kumar Jha, and PCM Secretary General, Judge Mahmoud Makie.
After the meeting, Musharrafieh made the following remarks:
“We met today under the chairmanship of His Excellency Professor Hassan Diab, in the presence of a number of ministers, and with the participation of the World Bank Regional Director for the Middle East, Saroj Kumar Jha. We took stock at the necessary preparations for the implementation of the social safety net project ahead of its consideration by the joint parliamentary committees tomorrow. In our today’s meeting, we finalized the required infrastructure, in agreement with the World Bank, for the project’s management and implementation, in preparation for the formation of the relevant Administration after the project’s approval by the parliament. We are carrying out our duties in supporting the Lebanese society through the social safety net program in light of the economic, social and living hardships as well as the coronavirus pandemic. This is indeed a priority project at this stage, and there will be full transparency in its management and implementation. We should not forget that this is a caretaker government; yet, we have not stopped working diligently at the ministerial level. This government has been facing great challenges; it is really a government of “facing challenges”, and we have not evaded our responsibilities. Rather, in our caretaker capacity, we are performing our duties and functions to the fullest, for what is required today is the formation of a government as soon as possible. "