MIKATI: WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO TEMPORARILY SOLVE A FILE RELATED TO THE FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SITUATION

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said, in a statement on Thursday, that the government could have reached a temporary remedy to an ordeal at the financial level, blaming the cancellation of the cabinet session on the “political calculations” of some sides. “We had an opportunity today to temporarily solve a file related to the financial and monetary situation, but unfortunately, the political calculations of the concerned sides inside the government take precedence over other considerations; let each side bear the responsibility for their decision,” said Mikati. “I will continue to assume my constitutional and national duty and to exert serious effort to ensure the continuity of the state institutions, especially the central bank,” he vowed. “I had convened the cabinet today to discuss the financial and monetary conditions. We were supposed to discuss the possible solutions to prevent vacuum at the central bank governorship post. But a number of ministers did not show up and the required quorum was lacking, which forced us to cancel the session and hold a consultative meeting with attending ministers,” he explained. “The critical conditions in Lebanon necessitate exceptional action from the ministers and the concerned political leaderships,” he stressed. Mikati did not fail to urge the parliament to expedite the election of a new president of the republic.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon