SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Mikati will not ask the Cabinet to convene, Berri will not visit Bkerke

A month and 3 days have passed since the Cabinet’s last session, and there is neither hope for a soon meeting on the horizon, nor a resignation for the Prime Minister. The latter is avoiding a decision to ask the Cabinet to convene in order not to confront Hezbollah and not to embarrass Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and to avoid a bigger problem, as is rumored in the Grand Serail.

Mikati’s sources respond to those demanding a Cabinet session, and says that holding the session is a decision that is not linked to the Prime Minister, who has previously set principles for the work of his government, first of which keeping Judge Tarek Bitar, and second George Kordahi’s resignation. Sources said that problems cannot be solved by blaming each other. Mikati considers that calling for a cabinet session before the two problems are resolved will complicate matters further, and he wants to avoid a bigger problem that might force the government’s resignation.

The main reason behind Mikati’s failure to resign may be to avoid reaching a vacuum scenario in the executive authority, followed by a vacuum in the legislative authority after the end of the parliament’s term in May, leaving President Aoun to remain the sole legitimate commander from May until October.

Consequently, Mikati will continue to compensate for government sessions through ministerial committee meetings and follow up on files with ministers, including the ministers of the Shiite duo, armed with external support, the last of which was from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who considered that Mikati has a good plan to push Lebanon forward, but the question is who will implement the plan that Blinken talks about as long as the government is idle and its decisions are postponed.

Rumors has been circulated about efforts that would find a solution for Bitar and Kordahi cases. The solutions are neither magic nor new, and there are no other options than the resignation of Kordahi, and separating Bitar from the files of ministers and deputies, as Berri previously suggested, and keeping their trial to the Supreme Council for the trial of Presidents, and in this way they fulfill their demand and remove the Judicial Investigator.

So far, these solutions are not ready, and are not applicable. Even talks about President Berri’s visit to Bkerke turned out to be improper, while the visit of Qatar’s Foreign Minister to Lebanon is still not settled, and sources in the Qatari embassy have not confirmed its occurrence.

Mikati’s only hope remains that his friend, the Turkish foreign minister, who is in Beirut today, will be able to persuade Hezbollah, through Iran, to show some kind of flexibility in resolving matters.

    Source:
  • Sawt Beirut International