Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday called for “an internal understanding through a dialogue table to strengthen Lebanon’s relationships with the Arab states, especially the Gulf.”
“A new decisive year is ahead, and we are on the threshold of parliamentary and presidential elections that will redraw the internal political scene,” Mikati told a news conference at the Grand Serail.
“We must derive lessons from the crises we had previously endured and we must return to implementing the Constitution to restore order to the political life,” he stressed.
Tackling the government gridlock, Mikati said he had embarked on a series of contacts to resume the Cabinet sessions. “I have been waiting before convening the Council of Ministers so that there wouldn’t be any further complication.”
Mikati underlined that “the suspension of the Cabinet meetings constitutes a structural defect in the government work which can neither be ignored nor overlooked.”
On the Beirut port blast probe, Mikati said: “We understand the concerns and demands of a large segment of the Lebanese, and we call for solutions within the frame of the Constitution and the laws.”
On a different note, the Prime Minister indicated that he had signed the decree calling for the parliamentary elections and that he had forwarded it to the President of the Republic.
Asked about the President of the Republic’s position regarding the decree calling for parliamentary elections, Mikati said, “The decree is now with the President, and he will surely sign it because May 15th is a date that has been agreed upon with His Excellency; it is a technically appropriate date for holding elections.”
As for the possibility of his resignation, Mikati said: “When I submitted my resignation from the government back in 2013, I said in my resignation letter, “I hope that my resignation will open a hole in the dead end.” Today, if I feel that my resignation will usher a solution, I will not fail to submit it again in order to resolve the dire situation in Lebanon.
In response to a question about Iranian influence in Lebanon, Mikati said: “Lebanon is an independent state, and we are exerting every effort to establish this fact. If the matter involves Hezbollah, then we consider it a political party present on the Lebanese arena just like the rest of the Lebanese parties, and I do not allow myself to say or acknowledge any influence of any foreign country on the Lebanese arena.”
Touching on the electricity dossier, he said: “We strive with all our might to increase productivity and power feeding hours, but there are obstacles that are beyond our control. As a result, plans are ready and power supply will increase to ten hours per day soon.”
On the tourism level, he pointed out that there was an active movement, especially at Beirut airport, in cooperation with the Middle East Airlines. “The government is present, working and doing everything that is required of it,” he added.
In response to another question, Mikati said: “I adhere to the Taif Agreement, and I stress the need to complete and properly implement it.”
On the financial level, he said: “We’ve been holding daily meetings with the Ministerial Finance Committee and the Central Bank Governor to put in place feasible solutions with the least damage to the Lebanese. Certainly, there are issues that need to be resolved and the situation is not right, but we strive for good communication to restore people’s rights.”
Source: NNA