ANSD : Lebanon: New govt off to flying start with swift policy statement

THU 25 - 4 - 2024

Date: Feb 8, 2019
Source: The Daily Star

Lebanon: New govt off to flying start with swift policy statement

_{Joseph Haboush| The Daily Star}
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s new Cabinet sailed through agreeing on a policy statement Thursday in less than a week, paving the way for a vote of confidence from Parliament. Speaker Nabih Berri has therefore called for morning and evening parliamentary sessions to be held Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 11 a.m., according to a statement from his office. Lawmakers will convene to discuss the policy statement and hold the vote of confidence for the new Cabinet.

Earlier in the day, President Michel Aoun headed a Cabinet session at the presidential palace, where ministers reviewed and approved a slightly modified statement.

The president expressed satisfaction with the all-inclusive statement, which he said covers “all the main topics,” and said he hoped that “no time is wasted” in getting to work, a Baabda Palace statement reported.

Aoun also called for political differences to be debated outside Cabinet in places such as Parliament “and not in public or in front of foreign ambassadors,” MTV reported.

Following Cabinet’s approval of the statement, Information Minister Jamal Jarrah said the government was committed to implementing a series of key economic and financial reforms included in the draft policy statement, which were seen as crucial to moving forward on accessing more than $11 billion in grants and soft loans that were pledged by international donors at the CEDRE conference held last year in Paris.

As part of the necessary reforms, the policy statement stipulates that Lebanon will reduce the deficit by 1 percent annually over the next five years. “It’s necessary for Cabinet to get to work on everyday needs for Lebanese citizens, who are waiting for a lot from us,” Jarrah told reporters after the meeting.

To boost revenues and reduce state spending, the state will begin by cutting down on the subsidies to the state-run Electricite du Liban, estimated at $2 billion annually, according to the draft statement.The statement also says Lebanon has committed to “a consistent financial and monetary policy to boost confidence in the national economy and reduce the public debt-to-GDP ratio by increasing the size of the economy and reducing the treasury budget.”

Jarrah added that Cabinet had made only minor changes to the language of a few items of the draft approved by the committee.

For example, the Lebanese Forces registered an opposition to an article dealing with the means of resisting the Israeli occupation.

The same language regarding Hezbollah’s arms used in the previous policy statement was used this time around. It states that the government would spare no efforts to liberate remaining occupied land, while simultaneously stressing “the right of the state with its institutions and people to resist Israeli occupation and repulse its attacks.”

The LF requested that “legal state” be added before “institutions,” but Jarrah said this did not happen.

Separately, a European Union delegation met with Hariri to congratulate him on the new government and expressed support for his efforts to address the challenges ahead.

A statement on behalf of the delegation released after the meeting, which was headed by European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Christina Lassen, welcomed the new government “carried by a broad consensus.”

“We expect that a main task for your government will be to resume the efforts to strengthen state institutions, to ensure governance and reaffirm the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and exclusive authority of the Lebanese state.”

The EU also reiterated its stance welcoming the government’s Capital Investment Plan, presented during CEDRE, during which large-scale support was pledged “if necessary measures are taken.”

It also called on the new government “to immediately implement the necessary economic and structural reforms to allow for the CIP’s implementation.” electricity reform, the fiscal deficit and the fight against corruption are among the main issues that need to be addressed, the statement added.

“We underline how important it is to find sustainable, transparent solutions in this context, to relieve the state budget, as well as citizens, and encourage international investors.”

Turning to the return of Syrian refugees to their home country, which the new policy statement stipulates must be “safe” without explicitly specifying “voluntary,” the EU representatives’ statement said: “This return needs to be safe, voluntary and dignified; otherwise it risks being counterproductive and preventing further returns in the future.”

The EU also welcomed Lebanon’s decision to reaffirm its commitment to dissociation from the regional conflicts and internal affairs of Arab countries. The statement labeled the Lebanese Army the “only legitimate armed forces of Lebanon, as enshrined in the Constitution and in the Taif Accord.”

At the same time, the EU representatives spoke of the need for the resumption of national dialogue in Lebanon so that a National Defense Strategy can be formed.

The ambassadors’ meeting with Hariri took place a week before Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is set visit Lebanon, a Lebanese Foreign Ministry source told The Daily Star.

Zarif’s visit comes at a time when the United States continues slapping tough economic sanctions on Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah, and mounts a campaign of maximum pressure campaign on Tehran.

Although a source close to Hariri could not yet confirm whether a meeting has been scheduled between Zarif and the premier, the Iranian diplomat is expected to meet with Aoun, Berri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

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