The cabinet appointed Thursday Ambassador Hany Chmeitley as Secretary General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghady Khoury as a Director for Political Affairs and Ambassador Kanj al-Hajal as Director for Administrative and Financial Affairs.
During a session held at the Baabda Presidential Palace under the chairmanship of President Michel Aoun and in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to discuss an agenda of 36 items, chief among which the diplomatic appointments.
The cabinet postponed the issue of appointing a director general of Public Cooperatives.
Following the session, Minister Hassan Khalil said that “the diplomatic appointments are an achievement and they are satisfied with it,” adding that Minister Ghazy Zeaiter requested the postponement of the subject of Gloria Abou Zeid for two weeks.
Sources told LBCI that discussions held on the sidelines between Ministers Finianos, Zeaiter and Abi Khalil led Zeaiter to request the delay.
At the beginning of the session, President Aoun called for improving the financial revenues for the state, including strict enforcement of the law on the prevention of tax evasion, calling for launching an investigation into the fake associations that receive donations from the government.
He added that he would have preferred passing the national budget before the pay scale to determine the revenues and the expenses, in light of which the financial needs will be set.
For his part, PM Hariri expressed gratitude to the political blocs that contributed to passing the pay scale and the reforms, noting that passing the pay scale is an accomplishment that will be forever registered in the era of President Aoun, the cabinet and the parliament.
He also hoped that the budget will be discussed over the upcoming week to be referred to the parliament within weeks.
On the issue of the refugees, Hariri stressed that he will tackle the matter during his visit to Washington, pointing out that the refugees’ return to safe areas in Syria is being discussed with the United Nations that will determine the right time for them to return.
Information Minister Melhem Riachi tackled the issue of TeleLiban, saying that the appointments at the TV station have been pending the decision of the Free Patriotic Movement to name its representative, noting that the mechanism for these appointments will prove its viability.
For his part, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Qanso said that the names for the diplomatic appointments agreed upon did not reach them, pointing out that this issue violates the rules of procedures that require informing them of the names 48 hours prior to the session.
In turn, State Minister for Administrative Development Inaya Ezzeddine told LBCI that they were informed of the diplomatic appointments names through newspapers, stressing its refusal to cancel the appointments’ mechanism.
Prior to the meeting, President Aoun and PM Hariri held a meeting.