Minister of Transportation and Public Works Ghazi al-Aridi stated that a law on government spending should not speak of the mechanism and auditing of spending, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

He explained: “A draft law on the matter should set the limit of government spending.”

A meeting for the parliament office on Monday may turn into a session to voice confidence in ministers, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

“The way have been opened for it to develop into a session during which ministers may be placed before a vote of confidence due to several pending contentious ministerial issues,” said the daily.

Speaker Nabih Berri threatened on Friday to debrief the cabinet if it didn’t carry out its tasks regarding Lebanon’s offshore oil wealth project, As Safir newspaper reported.

“The cabinet should assign the committee tasked with administrating the oil sector and set the tenders to kick off the offshore natural resources exploration,” Berri stressed.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati described on Thursday the cabinet session at the Baabda Palace as “productive,” also expecting the parliamentary session to go on “smoothly.”

“The legislature that will convene on Thursday will be calm and productive, particularly after the extra-budgetary spending was withdrawn from discussions,” Miqati told al-Liwaa newspaper.

The cabinet adopted several bills on Wednesday but failed to discuss the draft-law on the 2006-2010 extra-budgetary spending that according to Premier Najib Miqati was finalized but it remained up to the finance ministry to settle its “technical” aspects.

Following a cabinet session held at the Baabda palace, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said the government approved draft-laws linked to money laundering, Value Added Tax and money transfers.

President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri are exerting efforts to make Beirut a permanent base for dialogue among religions and different confessions, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The two tackled the measures to be taken concerning the matter during a meeting on Monday at the Baabda Palace.

Premier Najib Miqati is making progress in the drafting of the plan aimed at finding a final solution to the extra-budgetary spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri in 2006-2010, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas said.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Tuesday, Nahhas said: “We are making progress and seeking to come up with a draft acceptable by everyone.”

Premier Najib Miqati and Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan will on Monday put the final touches on a draft-law aimed at resolving the controversy on the extra-budgetary spending made in 2006-2010, the lawmaker said.

In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5), Kanaan said there is consensus on the approval of the draft-law formulated to resolve the $11 billion spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri between 2006 and 2009 and the $5 billion spent by the national unity cabinet of Hariri in 2010.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated that the proposals on government spending made at cabinet on Friday are not final suggestions on the matter, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

He told the daily: “Efforts are underway to reach a final formula that includes all sides’ views on the matter.”

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil reiterated a proposal to adopt alternative options concerning the lingering world oil prices, which are becoming a daily burden on citizens, An Nahar newspaper reported on Friday.

“These alternative solutions help citizens save around LL15,000 in gas prices, LL7,000 in gasoline prices, and would cost the treasury less,” he told the daily.