BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his frustration with the paralyses of state institutions Monday, saying it was "delusional" to consider the absence of a president as the only void in government.
In a meeting with the head of Lebanon’s Press Federation Aouni al-Kaaki, Berri said that all governmental bodies are facing disruption.
In addition to the presidential void and the ongoing deadlock in Parliament, Cabinet’s work has also come to a halt, Berri said, in reference to the suspension of Cabinet sessions until a new decision-making system is reached.
Slamming Cabinet’s current system, which allows any one of the 24 ministers to veto a decision, Berri said that Lebanon now has “24 presidents, 24 prime ministers and 24 ministers.”
Since President Michel Sleiman's term ended last May, the national unity Cabinet has been tasked with approving laws and decrees. The 24-member body has required unanimous approval for a decision to pass, which has hindered much of the Cabinet’s work.
A weekly Cabinet session scheduled was canceled last week due to disagreement over a new decision-making formula after Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced that he would suspend session pending a final agreement on a new system. It remains unclear whether Cabinet will convene this week, but the widening rift among ministers over the weekend makes it unlikely.
The speaker, who stressed the urgency of electing a president, said that the upcoming seventh round of talks between Hezbollah and the Future Movement would discuss the issue.
"One of the goals of the dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah was to motivate other [parties] to also [engage in] dialogue, and this is what happened,” Berri said in reference to anticipated talks between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
The speaker welcomed talks between the two presidential rivals and expressed his readiness to comply with any decisions reached by the two parties.
Berri stressed that Christian dialogue was necessary for the election of a president and noted that Riyadh and Tehran would comply with any presidential decision reached by domestic forces.
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