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Lebanon president calls for resuming government meetings

December 15, 2021 at 9:24 am

President of Lebanon Michel Aoun in Beirut, Lebanon on 14 October 2021 [Lebanese Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Lebanese President Michel Aoun yesterday called for holding government meetings even if they are boycotted by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, local media reported.

Both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are boycotting government meetings in protest against the judicial investigation into the Beirut Port blast. They claim the judge leading the investigation is biassed.

The government last met on 12 October, when Hezbollah and Amal insisted Judge Tareq Bitar be replaced.

In a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency and reported by Al Jadeed TV, Aoun said the government cannot remain idle. “The government must discuss and take decisions on urgent issues such as approving the budget in order to deal with the issue of electricity.”

“The existence of opinion disparity does not mean there is a disagreement,” he added.

“We are calling for respecting the Constitution because the opposite means chaos.”

Lebanon is in an economic quagmire and looking for immediate financial support. The country is going through one of the worst financial crises seen globally since the mid-nineteenth century and the Lebanese lira has been devalued.

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