Parliament Adjourned over March 8-14 Dispute on Spending Bill

Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned on Thursday the parliamentary session to March 5 after lack of quorum following a decision by the majority of March 14 alliance opposition lawmakers to leave the legislature in an attempt to block the adoption of a bill that would legalize $5.9 billion spending by the government above 2005 levels.

Lebanon hasn’t had any official budget since that year.

Efforts by Berri to convince the al-Mustaqbal bloc MPs and some lawmakers from other opposition blocs to return to parliament went in vain.

March 14 parliamentary sources had stressed that the opposition lawmakers would not vote in favor of the bill and a transportation allowance draft law proposed by Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan, if the parliamentary majority led by the March 8 forces failed to settle the controversy on $11 billion spent during the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri.

After the collapse of the session, Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun denied that the $11 billion had been documented. “We need statements of account,” he said.

An al-Mustaqbal source had defended the amount spent by the previous governments, saying the amount was aimed at covering the costs of the devastation left by the 2006 Israeli aggression, the electricity deficit and the rise in wages in addition to providing medical and social services and implementing public works projects.

The details of the spending are present on an official website in accordance with clear documents, the sources stressed.

Kanaan also said after the adjournment of the session, that all the excuses given by March 14 MPs to force the collapse of the $5.9 billion spending bill are rejected.

“The spending issue is not political,” he said, adding that his bloc “rejects any settlement and deals at the expense of public funds.”

But Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan defended the March 14 withdrawal from the session, telling reporters “We can’t legalize an issue and forego another.”

He was referring to attempts by the March 8 forces to garner a majority support for the $5.9 billion spending bill while rejecting a final settlement to the $11 billion spending.

“Obstruction of state institutions does not serve the Lebanese,” Adwan said.

Saniora, who now heads the al-Mustaqbal bloc, also told reporters that the March 14 withdrawal from parliament was aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the spending issue.

Premier Najib Miqati said after meeting with Berri later that everybody holds onto the constitution, the institutions and national unity.

He hoped that by March 5, all parties would have reached a solution to the dispute.