Aoun Hopes Safadi Would Sort ‘Confusion’ at His Ministry in Order to Complete State Budget
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun hoped on Tuesday that the government would exert efforts to complete the state budget.
He hoped that Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi would cater to some of the “confusion” at his ministry in order to complete accounts, which would pave the way for the completion of the budget.
He made his remarks after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting at Rabiyeh.
“We hope the new budget would be established on time and before the start of the new financial year,” he continued.
Lebanon has been without a state budget since 2005.
“The finance minister should probably reconsider some of his staff because it seems there are auditing problems at the ministry,” said Aoun.
On the 10 percent quota granted to women in the parliamentary electoral law, he said: “Lebanese society is still not very accepting of a woman in power.”
“Female movements must impose themselves more on the Lebanese scene” in order for them to garner greater representation, stated the lawmaker.
Commenting on the government’s approval of the electoral law, he remarked: “We hope it would be approved at parliament.”
“We have performed our duties at all of the concerned committees in order to come up with this law,” he continued.
Cabinet voted on Tuesday on a parliamentary electoral law based on proportional representation.
The ministers of the National Struggle Front voiced their opposition to the law.
Addressing a defense strategy for Lebanon, Aoun said: “Our talk on a defense strategy with Hizbullah was directed against Israel, not MP Walid Jumblat, the Armenians, or the Sunnis.”
“We know that Israel poses a danger to Lebanon as it seeks to exploit our water and it is already occupying some of our land,” he noted.
“War does not require unanimity to be waged,” he added.
Everyone however immediately runs to their country’s defense in case of an attack, Aoun remarked.
In addition, he attributed the March 14 camp’s criticism against Hizbullah’s possession of arms to its fears that it may lose the parliamentary majority in the 2013 elections.
Source: Naharnet
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