BEIRUT — The cabinet convened at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Grand Serail for the first of what are expected to be several meetings devoted to the 2022 draft budget.
Here's what we know:
• The budget document prepared by Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, is already under fire for granting the minister exceptional powers and suggesting new taxes.
• Justice Minister Henri Khoury, who is in Iraq as part of an official visit, was absent from the cabinet meeting for the second consecutive day, the state-run National News Agency reported.
• The cabinet plans to meet every day until Friday, in parallel with the official negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, which began yesterday and are aimed at obtaining financial assistance for the crisis-hit country.
• While at the Grand Serail the cabinet’s discussion of the budget continued, President Michel Aoun received US Ambassador Dorothea Shea in Baabda. According to the National News Agency, the discussions focused on "bilateral relations and the latest developments on the local scene," without further details.