'Most issues' discussed at talks on new Cabinet statement
| Siniora heads meeting of ministerial committee |
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Thursday chaired the first meeting of the ministerial committee that was formed on Wednesday with the mission of drafting the new Cabinet's ministerial statement. The committee included Information Minister Tarek Mitri, Agriculture Minister Elias Skaff, Finance Minister Mohammad Shattah, Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil, Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, and ministers of state Youssef Taqla, Nassib Lahoud, and Wael Abu Faour.
"We have started to discuss a number of issues that will be included in the ministerial statement," Mitri told reporters after the meeting.
"We discussed most issues and left out others, but we will continue discussions in the meetings to follow," the minister added, stressing that all issues were discussed both warmly and seriously.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Voice of Lebanon radio on Thursday that there were no serious obstacles to drafting the ministerial statement.
"The committee has been formed and the draft statement will be presented before the council of ministers as soon as possible," Najjar said.
Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman is likely to receive Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in Beirut next week as media reports on Thursday quoted Syrian official sources as saying that Moallem will deliver on Monday an invitation from Syrian President Bashar Assad for Sleiman to visit Damascus.
Sleiman, who met with Assad last weekend in Paris, said earlier this week that his first foreign visit will be to Syria.
Sleiman and Assad reportedly agreed in Paris on establishing diplomatic ties between Lebanon and Syria.
Also on Thursday, Sleiman received an invitation to visit the Islamic Republic.
The invitation was delivered to him by an Iranian delegation who visited Sleiman at the Presidential Palace.
The delegation included Iranian MP Hosni Sheikh al-Islam, representing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani as well as other officials.
Sleiman also received Lahoud as a number of Cabinet posts underwent handing over ceremonies on Thursday.
Among such ministries were the Interior Ministry, the Energy Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Economy Ministry.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said that the ministerial statement should not include any obscure items.
"We proposed the holding of national dialogue ahead of drafting the ministerial statement so that all parties can work out their differences once and for all, but the president and the prime minister preferred to go ahead with drafting the ministerial statement," Geagea said.
"We are not against such decisions as long as the ministerial statement does not include any obscure items that would create problems in the future," he added.
Geagea urged the ministers comprising the committee in charge of drafting the ministerial statement to discuss all issues without any reservations.
Beirut
18-07-2008
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The Daily Star
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