Mikati calls for keeping President Sleiman away from the political rhetoric

An ordinary cabinet session was held on Wednesday at the Grand Serail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.    

During the session, the cabinet agreed on granting the Ministry of Environment LBP 25 Million from the Ministry of Telecommunications to purchase educational supplies and also agreed on establishing a General secretariat for the Supreme Judicial Council. 

This as PM Mikati reiterated his denunciation of the Arsal incident, stressing his support to the LAF institution. He called on all parties to cooperate to make sure assailants are handed over to justice and accusations are not directed towards the residents of the Bekaa town.     

Separately, Mikati called for distancing the judiciary from political polarization and maintaining the freedom of opinion, especially that of MPs. He also called for refraining from plunging President Sleiman in political rhetoric.     

Prior to the session, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn stressed that the LAF are proceeding into the town of Arsal to capture the wanted persons, calling on the cabinet to take a clear stance in support of the army.     

In turn, the Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abou Faour said that the army is neither a tribe nor a sect; “it is a respectable institution which implements the law.” Abou Faour called for the saturation of the “newly-found sentiment” towards the Lebanese Army.      

For his part, Minister of State for Administrative Affairs Mohammad Fneish considered that Bulgaria’s accusation towards Hezbollah was directed by Israel on the heels of the Burgas bombing, adding that Mikati’s statement yesterday regarding full cooperation with the Bulgarian authorities is a matter of the Lebanese state.