Suleiman Warns of Cabinet Division over ‘Technical’ Electricity Dispute
President Michel Suleiman has warned cabinet ministers against division on a controversial electricity bill, saying the government shouldn’t collapse over “technical” differences between ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.
Suleiman’s sources told As Safir daily published Thursday that the president’s warning came during a 10-minute cabinet session held at the Baabda palace.
The meeting was postponed to Sept. 7 over the insistence by cabinet ministers loyal to Jumblat to form a technical committee which, along with Bassil, would oversee the allocation of $1.2 billion funds to build power plants that would generate 700 megawatts of electricity. But Aoun’s ministers strongly opposed it.
“There is no interest in putting the issue up to voting,” Suleiman reportedly told the ministers, warning that such a move would divide the government and put the electricity project in limbo.
During Wednesday’s session, Suleiman said that all sides agreed on two central issues - a solution to power cuts through the adoption of a plan which all sides agree on and distancing this issue from political bickering.
Ministerial sources told As Safir that the ministers agreed to postpone discussion of the issue to Sept. 7 over fears that the differences could spiral out of control.
The Eid al-Fitr holiday will be an opportunity to find consensus on the bill ahead of the session, they said.
Suleiman and Miqati held closed-door talks before the cabinet session. They were later separately joined by Hizbullah Minister Mohammed Fneish, Amal Movement’s Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Bassil.
The president also met Minister Ghazi Aridi, a PSP official.
Ministerial sources told An Nahar newspaper that Suleiman and Miqati faced a difficult task in trying to appease both sides after ministers loyal to Aoun and Jumblat held onto their stances following telephone conversations they held with their leaders.
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