The sources said that Kerry’s essential message remains that the Lebanese cabinet is a red line and that the presidential elections are a process that concern only the Lebanese people.
According to the same sources, Kerry stressed the need to continue supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and all the security apparatuses, in accordance with the US military support program, in a bid to maintain Lebanon’s stability and security.
The US official made his remarks during several meetings he held with Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri and the Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rai, as well as during talks with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly.
Regarding the issue of the Syrian refugees, which featured high during Kerry’s meetings with Lebanese officials who explained the negative effects of the Syrian displacement in Lebanon, the US pledged a USD 51 million grant to help the Lebanese government cope with the repercussions of the refugee crisis.
On another note, the sources told the daily that Kerry praised Patriarch Rai’s visit to the Holy Land, stressing the need to elect a new president as soon as possible.
MP Ghazi Youssef stressed that there are no new positive developments regarding the issue of the series of ranks and salaries, noting that the concerned parties are not currently holding talks or negotiations to discuss the matter.
In a statement to
al-Joumhouria newspaper, Youssef noted that MP George Adwan was supposed to call on the concerned ministers to hold a meeting yesterday (Wednesday), but “it seems they were busy with other matters,” he said.
In this regard, the MP hoped that an agreement will be reached before Tuesday’s parliamentary session, criticizing the chaotic atmosphere that prevailed during the last session dedicated to pass the pay scale draft law.
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said that the 2014 draft budget, which was referred to the cabinet, includes an attempt to limit the expenditures, stressing the importance of passing a budget that puts an end to the uncalculated public expenses and prevents financial chaos.
In a statement to
as-Safir daily, Minister Hassan Khalil explained that the figures included in the 2014 draft budget are mainly based on the 2013 budget, plus the wage increase, which was added to cover the high cost of living and the latest administrative appointments approved by the cabinet.
Sources close to MP Sleiman Frangieh quoted him as saying that he denounces any intimidation attempt against the Lebanese Christians, urging them to remain strong and defend their rights.
The sources told
al-Joumhouria daily that Frangieh recalled the presidential vacuum that prevailed in 2007 and lasted 7 months, and the one that occurred in 1988 and lasted one year and a half, stressing that the presidency was not “harmed in both cases.”
“This is why the Christians must hold on to their aspiration to a strong president, because electing a weak president would be more dangerous than a state of vacuum,” the MP was quoted as saying.
In this regard, the sources said that Frangieh called on Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rai not to support a weak presidential candidate, who may be promoted as “a centrist or consensual” on the international level.