Suleiman, Berri, Miqati, Jumblat Reach Agreement on Electricity File, Await Aoun’s Reply
President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat have reached an agreement over the dispute over the electricity file, revealed the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.
The solution calls for allowing the government to control the funding of the draft law that was proposed by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.
It also calls for launching the Electricity Regulatory Authority and allowing Electricite du Liban to play a major role in implementing the law.
Aoun has yet to respond to Suleiman and Jumblat’s proposal, added the daily.
It said that the president will hold talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Monday ahead of the ministerial meeting aimed at finding a solution to the electricity crisis.
Parliament failed to approve an electricity draft law proposed by Aoun that allows Energy Minister Jebran Bassil to receive $1,200,000,000 to implement a project on producing 700 Megawatts of electricity.
The March 14-led opposition says that the draft law gives the minister the freedom to use the amount of money without referring to the cabinet or without any monitoring by the Audit Bureau.
Opposition and National Struggle Front MPs did not vote on the law when it subject to a vote at parliament.
Cabinet is expected to convene on Wednesday to address the electricity file.
Meanwhile, Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas told the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah newspaper in remarks published on Sunday: “We are awaiting the September 7 cabinet session and we will not alter our position on the electricity file.”
“We are committed to Bassil’s plan and we will not back down from it at any cost,” he stressed.
“All claims that a settlement over this file has been reached are baseless because our position is firm and we won’t change it,” he said.
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