Aoun to Mull his Options after Nahhas Informs him about Intention to Resign

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas informed Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun about his intention to resign after refusing to sign the transportation allowance decree, media reports said on Tuesday.

Nahhas informed Aoun about his decision to allow the FPM chief to study his options and discuss the issue during the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc meeting on Tuesday afternoon, OTV, mouthpiece of the Free Patriotic Movement, reported.

The TV station denied that Nahhas submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Najib Miqati; however, if the reports were true, then acting Labor Minister Nicolas Fattoush will be required to sign the decree.

The transportation allowance decree is at the center of a dispute between Miqati and Nahhas, who refuses to sign the decision for allegedly being “illegal.”

Local newspapers had said that the labor minister, who is loyal to Aoun, was expected to sign on Tuesday the controversial transportation allowance decree, averting a three-week crisis.

“Nahhas should sign the decree before the parliamentary session (on Wednesday) that will legalize the transportation allowance,” an official source told As Safir newspaper.

Miqati insists on Nahhas to sign the decree linked to a cabinet decision that was approved by the majority of the ministers in January in order to kick start the cabinet sessions. He also stresses that the labor minister’s approval of the decree is the only solution to the crisis.

The premier has suspended the cabinet sessions until Nahhas signs the decree, saying that he expects the ministers to boost their performance and abide by the government’s decision.

Miqati’s sources told As Safir that the labor minister should “respect” the cabinet’s decision before talking about referring the decree to the Shura Council to decide its legality.

According to al-Akhbar newspaper, Speaker Nabih Berri agreed with head of parliamentary finance committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan during a meeting on a solution where Nahhas should sign the transportation allowance decree and refer it to the Shura Council to decide on its legality.

Berri’s sources confirmed to the daily that the labor minister will abide by the decision taken and sign the decree.

The parliamentary session is expected to witness a heated debate, as MPs will discuss two urgent draft laws suggested separately by Change and Reform member Kanaan and al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Nabil de Freij in an attempt to “legalize” the transportation and education allowances decree.

Kanaan, who is loyal to Aoun, told As Safir newspaper that the parliament will set the legal way to end the three-week crisis.

“We have a reformist objective… The result of (Wednesday’s vote) will rectify the defects, which will allow the cabinet to retain its role and position,” he stated.