As-Safir daily quoted PM Najib Mikati Monday as saying that an agreement on the electricity draft law should be finalized before the Cabinet’s next meeting Sept.7.
Mikati added “I am not targeting Energy Minister Gebran Bassil for I have confidence in him. I am only calling for taking full advantage of the discussion on the electricity plan to reach a unanimous solution on the matter.”
Commenting on the Change and Reform Bloc Leader MP Michel Aoun’s repeated threats to withdraw his ministers from the cabinet should the electricity plan not be approved by Cabinet, Mikati said such formula is totally rejected for it encourages the ministers to threat to resign whenever the Cabinet does not endorse their plan.
“I will be the first to resign when the conditions for the Cabinet’s survival no longer exist”, Mikati said, adding the debate over the electricity issue proves that the Cabinet is not one-sided, yet reflects different views.
As for the issue of false witnesses, Mikati did not give a definite date to table the issue for discussion, adding “we are currently following up on the course of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and if the indictment is proven to be based upon the issue of false witnesses, we will take action.”
The electricity bill, which would allocate $1.2 billion to the Energy Ministry to build power plants capable of producing 700 megawatts, saw divisions in the Cabinet between the Free Patriotic Movement on the one hand and Mikati and the Progressive Socialist Party on the other.