BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Sunday dismissed reports about a split within his government, saying political parties represented in it were still upholding it despite heated debates and divergent viewpoints that sometimes emerge during Cabinet sessions.
“Various viewpoints are normal, even if they sometimes reach deep differences. This does not mean that the Cabinet is divided or in the circle of danger and is threatened with collapse,” the prime minister told The Daily Star. “This matter happens with all governments. Otherwise, matters would not have been normal and democratic.”
Commenting on the security situation, the killing of people in some Druze villages in the Mount Hermon area near the border with Lebanon and the threat of the Syrian war spilling over Lebanese territory, Salam said: “Amid the current situation in Syria, such incidents are expected to happen. But for us, what matters is Lebanon’s stability and security. There are always fears. Hence, the significance of the Army’s role in maintaining the citizens’ security. The armed forces are doing more than what is required of them.”
Talking about the situation in Tripoli, which fell fully under the control of the Army last month after the military crushed Islamist militants in the city, he said: “The security situation in Tripoli is stable and we hope for more [stability]. We have decided in the Cabinet to give Tripoli priority in development and urgent aid. This will help achieve more stability.”
On the refugee crisis and a statement by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour in which he said the international community has failed to help Lebanon cope with this crisis and voiced fears about the collapse of the health system, he said: “It is clear that amid the Syrian refugee flow, the needs to meet the requirements of the refugees are increasing and Lebanon’s resources are insufficient.”
He added that the government was in contact with international organizations to secure promised aid to help Lebanon cope with the burdens of more than 1 million Syrian refugees on its territories.
Salam said an amount of $57 million, out of the $140 million allotted by the international community for Lebanon, would be sent to the government soon.
On the ordeal of 27 soldiers and policemen held hostage by ISIS and Nusra militants for more than three months and media leaks that put the hostages’ families in a state of confusion and anxiety, Salam said: “There is a ministerial crisis cell that is running this file. General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has been charged with following up this file.”
He said what mattered were the ministerial cell’s efforts in coordination with Ibrahim.
Declaring that the negotiations with the kidnappers are “difficult, delicate and critical,” Salam said the government has avoided releasing any information on the case in order not to impede the Qatar-sponsored mediation efforts.
“We hope to see something [in the hostage crisis]. The Cabinet has not entered into details and left the matter to the [ministerial] cell. But we in this cell cannot release information that can hinder the negotiation efforts.” He stressed that secrecy was an essential part of the ongoing negotiations with the kidnappers.
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