Berri Pleas to Rival Parties to 'Come to their Senses'

Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly urged the rival political parties “to come to their senses” and to work on the activation of the parliament and the government.

Berri's visitors quoted him as saying that he “hoped everyone would come to their senses and feel the dangers of the current situation.”

The government should get back to its meetings and the parliament should legislate, said the speaker, whose remarks were published in al-Joumhouria daily on Friday.

The vacuum at Baabda Palace has spilled over into the government and the parliament.

Parliament has failed in the past year to elect a president over lack of quorum while Prime Minister Tammam Salam suspended cabinet sessions last week over a dispute on the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials.

On Friday, ministerial sources told An Nahar daily that Salam has not yet taken a decision to call for a cabinet session next week.

“Neither Salam's stance has changed nor the position of the parties threatening to boycott the sessions,” they said.

Salam has been procrastinating on calling for a session to avoid a bigger dispute.

Free Patriotic Movement ministers haven't also backed down on their demands. They have warned that they would boycott any session whose agenda is not topped by the appointment of the high-ranking officers.

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