Nabih Berri on Monday called for an end to the "deadly stagnation" that has stopped cabinet from meeting for more than a month. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Parliament Speaker and the head of the Amal Movement Nabih Berri called Monday for an end to the “deadly stagnation” that has led to the suspension of cabinet meetings for more than a month and brought the country “to the brink” as it suffers from a socioeconomic crisis.
Here’s what we know:
• In a statement released at the end of its weekly meeting, Berri said that “the gateway to any solution lies with the parties putting an end to the deadly stagnation that has led the country to a political abyss.”
• Najib Mikati’s government, which was formed on Sept. 10, has not met since Oct. 12 after the Amal and Hezbollah backed ministers reportedly called for the removal of the head of the 2020 Beirut port blast investigation, Judge Tarek Bitar, and threatened to boycott cabinet meetings until their demands are met. Against the backdrop of tensions within the government over this issue, Mikati has said he will not convene a cabinet session until a solution to the matter is found.
• On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also rejected calls for the resignation of Information Minister George Kurdahi after comments the minister made about the Saudi intervention in the war in Yemen which caused a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and several Gulf countries. Mikati has asked Kurdahi to “follow his conscience” and take the steps needed to heal the relationship with the Gulf countries, but he has stopped short of calling for Kurdahi’s resignation.