SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Mikati’s government calendar, an agenda with files that lack plans

Prime Minister Najib Mikati launched his government calendar with the Cabinet’s agenda, which included files that need long-term plans to be implemented, while the main dilemmas that need quick solutions, remained postponed.

However, these files began to come out, most notably the fuel file, which cannot wait for the delegation that was assigned to negotiate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But the darkness and the “kilowatt” price issued by the Ministry of Energy and Water will not wait to obtain the satisfaction of the fund, and the time is no longer available, according to what an informed source told Sawt Beirut International (SBI).

The source added that the Turkish ships began to dismantle their network and separate it from the Zouk and Jiyeh factories, in preparation for leaving the Lebanese seashores after their contract expired yesterday morning.

Despite the criticism and the squandering that affected the process of chartering these ships, their file was absent from the agenda of the new government, which announced a single solution related to assigning the Minister of Finance to borrow $100 million for the Electricité du Liban (EDL), but the ships departure is uncertain as the country is in dire need for its services.

The source added: “As for the external solutions that the Lebanese are waiting for from the IMF to get out of the “darkness” that threatens them, it does not seem that solutions will see the light in the near term.” Even if the negotiating delegation succeeded in setting a plan or some miracle, especially since the previous rounds exceeded the 17th without efficient results, the age of the Mikati government will not allow it to reap the results if the parliamentary elections are held.

The source believed that the prospect of a solution is still cloudy. It does not seem that it will clear up amid the Arab silence for providing aid, and European confusion in face of what happening internally regarding the Iranian sanctions due to importing fuel, which did not fulfill Hezbollah’s needs.

The prices of an Iranian fuel cannister has begun to rise. Criticism and warnings have arose as the government didn’t react or take any measures, after the threats the Judicial Investigator in the case of Beirut Port explosion probe received from the Head of the Liaison and Coordination Unit in “Hezbollah” Wafik Safa. This matter called for a response from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which expressed its concern about Hezbollah’s role in suspending this sensitive investigation. The committee asked the Lebanese government to ensure the safety of judges and investigators, while PM Najib Mikati distanced himself from it, saying that it is a judicial order that he will not interfere in it.”

The source concluded that what previously was mentioned is the biggest evidence that things will not go according to what the French want, and the promised reforms will remain pending until the American position is clarified.

    Source:
  • Sawt Beirut International