Mikati to call for Monday cabinet session

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will call for a cabinet session that will be held on Monday, media reports said.

Al-Akhbar newspaper said the session was supposed to be held on Thursday or Friday but was delayed due to the travel of some ministers.

Mikati had on Tuesday convened a ministerial panel and agreed with caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil and the Ministry’s director general George Maarawi to increase productivity and transportation compensations and the salaries of public sector employees after obtaining the approval of the parliament speaker.

“It has been decided to obtain a cover from the cabinet so that Mikati and Khalil do not bear the ramifications alone,” al-Akhbar said.

Ministerial sources meanwhile said that a treasury loan for paying the salaries of OGERO and the Telecom Ministry and the adjustment of the “customs dollar” value might also be on the session’s agenda.