BEIRUT: Rival political leaders unanimously agreed Tuesday on the need to get the stalled government functioning, to tackle urgent issues and confront the threat of terrorism facing the country following last week’s deadly twin suicide blasts in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

While no major progress was achieved in the 18-month-old presidential crisis, the leaders appeared to have made headway by supporting a proposal to export thousands of tons of garage as the only solution to the 4-month-old waste crisis.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam will intensify his contacts with a view to reaching positive and concrete results for exporting the trash after which he will call for a Cabinet session with the garbage being a main item on the agenda, according to statements made by some members of national dialogue.

All dialogue members, including MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, have agreed to attend this session, they said.

The leaders, who met in a new dialogue session, condemned the “terrorist crime” that occurred in the southern suburb of Burj al-Barajneh last Thursday that killed 46 people and wounded over 200.

They renewed their appreciation of the “all-embracing national solidarity expressed by various political parties in confronting terrorism,” according to a statement issued following the meeting held at Speaker Nabih Berri’s residence.

After Parliament last week failed to pass a law to have the state pay back its debts to municipalities, Salam is preparing to publish a decree that has been signed by all ministers that will release over $800 million to municipal coffers, Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb told The Daily Star Tuesday.

The leaders also lauded security agencies for their efforts in quickly uncovering and arresting the culprits behind the bombings, while “stressing the significance of coordination among these agencies to preserve stability and foil any terrorist attempts.”

“The leaders unanimously agreed on the need to reactivate the work of institutions, at the forefront of which is the Cabinet, to deal with urgent issues,” the statement said.

The Cabinet has been unable to meet since Sept. 9 due to differences among ministers over a decision-making system and the promotion of senior Army officers. Aoun has said the FPM’s two ministers would not attend any Cabinet session before the appointment of a new Army chief.

Tuesday’s was the 10th round of dialogue launched by Berri in September with the aim of reaching an agreement on the election of a president and ending paralysis in Parliament and the government. The next dialogue session was set for Nov. 25. Berri described the dialogue session as “good and positive,” saying the leaders discussed all issues, including an electoral law, with emphasis on the presidency and the reactivation of the government’s work.

He was quoted by visitors as saying Parliament’s Secretariat would meet Wednesday to form a committee tasked with drafting an electoral law. “What matters in the committee’s work is to reach consensus, regardless of the number of electoral draft laws to be discussed,” adding that the proposed committee might put forward a new electoral law “but what matters is consensus.”

“Electoral districts and a voting system are the core of an electoral law and they contribute toward the setup of governance,” Berri said.

Aoun described the session as “good,” telling the conferees that the “war on terror” is global and must be confronted with a comprehensive strategy.

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said all participants agreed with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s call in his last speech on rival factions to reach an all-inclusive political settlement, including the election of a president and an electoral draft law.

The parliamentary Future bloc welcomed Nasrallah’s call, urging a concrete plan to be put into action. It also condemned the Burj al-Barajneh blasts.

“Nasrallah’s call for a political settlement is good and carries a positive impact, especially with regard to his commitment to the Taif Accord and the Constitution,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting chaired by former premier Fouad Siniora.

Stressing that any political solution to the deadlock should begin with the election of a president, it said that Nasrallah’s call “must be translated by electing a president, and must be followed by ending all reasons behind tensions so as to build trust between Hezbollah and other parties.”

The bloc said it hoped the solidarity the country has witnessed in the aftermath of the bombings would be able to steer the country away from any strife. It called for an extraordinary Cabinet session to cope with security developments and solve the trash crisis.