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Bassil 'Satisfied' after 'Political' Meeting with Miqati

A “political” meeting was held on Wednesday between Premier Najib Miqati and Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil, OTV reported.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the periodic meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with scrutinizing tenders for leasing power generation ships.

OTV, the mouthpiece of Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement, said the minister seemed to be satisfied after the talks, describing the meeting as “political for the most part.”

The meeting comes amid the suspension of cabinet sessions due to several disputes, topped by the clash between President Michel Suleiman and the FPM’s ministers over administrative appointments and the standoff between Miqati and Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas over the latter’s refusal to sign a transportation allowance decree linked to a recent wage hike.

The TV network said the meeting tackled several other issues, “such as the cabinet crisis and appointments.”

For its part, NBN television said “a two-hour closed-door meeting was held between Bassil and Miqati at the Grand Serail and the energy minister seemed to be satisfied after the talks.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has refused to mediate between the differing parties, while Miqati has stressed that cabinet will not convene before guaranteeing the “productivity” of the sessions.


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