Veteran journalist Arafat Hijazi dead at 68

Samaha transfer cancelled over 'liquidation' plot

A decision to move terrorist suspect, former Information Minister Michel Samaha, from his prison cell to a hospital...

Employees at Hariri hospital escalate strike

BEIRUT: Employees at Lebanon’s state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital escalated their strike Monday, blocking the entrance to the hospital’s emergency room and refusing to admit any new patients.

The employees of Beirut’s main public hospital are protesting the delay in receiving their salaries for the month of January and what they perceive as a lack of employment benefits.

A statement by the employees’ committee said “the sit-in is aimed at achieving all our demands without exception, starting with the payment of salaries which we have not cashed until now, and until prejudice against us end.”

The protesters also warned that they were willing to take to the streets to push for their demands, stressing that “we are ready to take any move in order to secure the livelihood of our children.”

The employee’s strike that began last week coincided with the resignation of Faysal Shatila, the former chief of the hospital’s board.

Health Minister Abu Faour announced last Wednesday that he accepted Shatila’s resignation, saying it allowed for the implementation of “rescue plan” to save the hospital.

Abu Faour had previously announced a plan of reforms in response to the hospital's financial deficit, which had caused a shortage in equipment and tools.

Shatila, on the other hand, said he resigned because this same rescue plan was never carried out by the government.

The hospital’s staff remained on strike despite Shatila's resignation, saying they would not go back to work unless officials promised to add a discussion of the hospital's current crisis to the Cabinet’s agenda.

Hariri slams ‘hideous’ killing of Egyptian Copts

March 8 slams Hariri for his pro-Saudi speech

High-ranking March 8 figures Monday criticized former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, saying the speech he made to mark...

March 8 slams Hariri for his pro-Saudi speech

BEIRUT: High-ranking March 8 figures Monday criticized former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, saying the speech he made to mark the 10th anniversary of his father’s assassination was a show of support for the new Saudi leadership.

“This speech does not suggest that it comes at a time of dialogue,” local daily As-Safir quoted one March 8 leading figure as saying.

“Hariri wanted through his speech to achieve two goals: first, pull the crowd toward him and tickle their emotions in the first direct meeting between them for a long time, and second, to affirm his loyalty and allegiance to the new Saudi Arabia leadership,” he added.

The sources said Hariri was clearly expressing the Saudi position, which seems bothered by the course of developments in the region.

“If Hariri believes Hezbollah is interfering in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Bahrain ... and if he is accusing Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon in one axis against the other, how does he have the right to drag Lebanon in the Saudi axis?”

Hariri blasted Hezbollah’s role in Syria and rejected entangling Lebanon in regional conflicts, while strongly defending his Future Movement’s ongoing dialogue with the party as “a national necessity” to defuse sectarian tensions.

Speaking at a Future-organized rally in Beirut Saturday evening, Hariri stressed that the Lebanese state should have exclusive jurisdiction over decisions of war and peace, thus denying Hezbollah the freedom to wage a war against Israel.

Samaha transfer cancelled over 'liquidation' plot

Samaha transfer cancelled over 'liquidation' plot

A decision to move terrorist suspect, former Information Minister Michel Samaha, from his prison cell to hospital has...

Salam not willing to create government void

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Monday he will not allow his government to collapse as he pushed ahead to reach agreement on a formula to replace the current decision-making mechanism.

“My government is currently filling the presidential void,” Salam said in remarks published by local daily An-Nahar. “I’m not willing to move the presidential void to the government.”

Salam called for “extensive consultations” to prevent disruption of the government, adding that “an idea is being discussed” to the decision-making problem.

“We will announce it once agreement has been reached,” he said.

Salam said Sunday he would not call for a Cabinet session Thursday until an agreement is reached among the political parties making up the government on a formula to replace the current decision-making mechanism.

Speaking during a private meeting at his Mseitbeh residence attended by The Daily Star, Salam said he was making contacts with the Cabinet parties in an attempt to find an alternative formula to the decision-making mechanism, which has failed to facilitate the government’s work.

“Our adoption of the measures and mechanism [governing] the Cabinet’s work happened in extraordinary circumstances. But [the mechanism] has hit snags as a result of the obstruction by some parties participating in the Cabinet,” Salam said.

Noting that the mechanism, which requires unanimous support from all 24 ministers on the Cabinet’s decisions, has not helped the government’s productivity more than seven months after it being adopted, Salam said: “Perhaps reaching a new mechanism or formula to facilitate the Cabinet’s work and the people’s affairs has become urgent.”

Salam discussed the Cabinet’s decision-making mechanism during his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh Saturday. “There was consensus between us on the need for a change,” he said.

Political sources told The Daily Star that Salam was looking to have all government decisions approved by two-thirds of the ministers. Berri informed Salam that he did not oppose his proposition, according to the sources.

Salam: No Cabinet sessions before accord on mechanism

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Sunday he would not call for a Cabinet session Thursday until an agreement is reached among the political parties making up the government on a formula to replace the current decision-making mechanism.

Speaking during a private meeting at his Mseitbeh residence attended by The Daily Star, Salam said he was making contacts with the Cabinet parties in an attempt to find an alternative formula to the decision-making mechanism, which has failed to facilitate the government’s work.

“Our adoption of the measures and mechanism [governing] the Cabinet’s work happened in extraordinary circumstances. But [the mechanism] has hit snags as a result of the obstruction by some parties participating in the Cabinet,” Salam said.

Noting that the mechanism, which requires unanimous support from all 24 ministers on the Cabinet’s decisions, has not helped the government’s productivity more than seven months after it being adopted, Salam said: “Perhaps reaching a new mechanism or formula to facilitate the Cabinet’s work and the people’s affairs has become urgent.”

The premier said he had discussed the Cabinet’s decision-making mechanism during his meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain al-Tineh Saturday. “There was consensus between us on the need for a change,” he said.

But political sources told The Daily Star that Salam was looking to have all government decisions approved by two-thirds of the ministers. Berri informed Salam that he did not oppose his proposition, according to the sources.

Shortly after the presidency grew vacant last May with the expiry of former President Michel Sleiman’s six-year mandate and Parliament’s repeated failure to choose a successor, the Cabinet adopted a mechanism that requires unanimous backing from all 24 ministers on its decisions.

But the mechanism, which allows any minister to veto any decision, has significantly hindered the work of the government, which has been unable to make unanimous decisions on crucial issues over the past few months due to internal disagreements.

Salam stressed that he would not make a decision on changing the Cabinet’s mechanism unless he secures beforehand the approval of all the ministers. He said the political parties were in “an atmosphere of the need to change the mechanism.”

Disagreement over the decision-making mechanism threw the Cabinet into turmoil last Thursday as rival ministers traded accusations over the obstruction of the government’s work, prompting Salam to cut the stormy session short. He said the failure of the adopted mechanism should convince everyone of the need to review it. Although he did not give details on the alternative mechanism, Salam was reported to be seeking a constitutional mechanism that calls for voting on Cabinet decisions if consensus was not secured.

Also, the Cabinet parties are in favor of a change in the decision-making mechanism on the basis of Article 65 in the Constitution which calls for a simple majority vote on the basis of half of the ministers plus one on ordinary issues and unanimous support on issues related to the National Pact on equal power sharing between Muslims and Christians.

According to the Constitution, the Cabinet convenes with a two-thirds quorum and its decisions are made by consensus. In case consensus is hard to achieve, then regular draft laws are passed with a simple majority vote and crucial decisions must be approved by two-thirds of the ministers.

On the case of the 25 Lebanese soldiers and policemen held hostage since last August by ISIS and Nusra Front militants on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal, Salam said the government was still continuing its efforts to secure their release, but accused the kidnappers of not cooperating to end this ordeal. “From our side, we will continue these efforts and maintain the pace of negotiations. But the kidnappers are currently not showing any responsiveness from their side,” he said.

Salam said the first batch of the French weapons to the Lebanese Army funded by a $3 billion Saudi grant would arrive in Lebanon on April 4 as this was confirmed to him by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius earlier this month when the two met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.

According to Salam, there was an international understanding of the situation in Lebanon and the need to help the country to cope with the Syrian refugee crisis.