Suleiman Stresses Need for Parliament Session to Tackle $5.9 Billion Spending Bill

President Michel Suleiman stated on Saturday that the legislative authority has the responsibility to follow up on the people’s daily lives, as well as the manage government affairs.

He therefore stressed the need to hold a parliament session “as soon as possible” in order to tackle the $5.9 billion spending bill of the 2011 government.

He hoped that all parliamentary blocs would attend the session in order to perform their duties to the utmost in this issue, “for the sake of the treasury, public spending, and people’s rights.”

Addressing next week’s parliament session aimed at assessing government’s performance, Suleiman said: “This is part of democratic practice.”

Speaker Nabih Berri had called for the three-day session on April 17, 18, and 19.

A centrist ministerial source shrugged off on Friday warnings that state employees would not receive their salaries by the end of the month, saying the president should not be pressured into signing a decree on the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending of 2011.

Suleiman should be given the freedom whether to resort to article 58 of the constitution which allows the president to issue a bill deemed urgent by the government after the failure of the legislature to approve it within forty days following its transfer to the chamber of deputies and its inclusion on the agenda of the discussions.

Parliament failed to approve the bill that would legalize the spending of Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet in 2011 over a dispute between the March 8 coalition and the March 14 opposition on the spending of previous governments.

The source accused the March 8 forces, including ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, AMAL, and Hizbullah, of extorting Suleiman to push him for the approval of the urgent bill.

All parties are partners in the illegal spending, the sources said.