Electricity file: LF ministers withdraw from Cabinet meeting

BEIRUT — Thursday’s Cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail ended shortly after three Lebanese Forces (LF) ministers walked out in protest over the government not committing to funding the electricity sector.

Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, Industry Minister Joe Issa al-Khoury and Minister of the Displaced and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh walked out, while Energy Minister Joe Saddi, also LF, has boycotted Cabinet meetings since Oct. 6 over the same issue.

Shehadeh told L'Orient Today that he and his colleagues walked out because the government did not agree on funding Electricite du Liban (EDL) for the next three to four months, which would allow it to increase electricity supply hours. “The prime minister supports our position, but no decision was passed,” he said.

“We withdrew from the Cabinet session because we asked for the electricity file to be addressed more seriously. However, no decision was made on this issue,” Issa al-Khoury said in a statement.

Saddi may meet with Qatari prime minister

As Saddi considers resigning, sources close to the minister said he may meet Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who is visiting Beirut, to discuss the electricity crisis.

The sources said they did not expect Saddi to resign before next week. “Minister Saddi has not resigned at this stage,” Issa al-Khoury said.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Saddi on Wednesday to discuss ways to increase electricity supply hours and secure the necessary funding. “The electricity file is essential and serious. It is currently being followed up,” Morcos said.

Morcos also announced that the Cabinet had approved the installation of stations powered by alternative energy. The government postponed consideration of several other items until its upcoming meeting next week. Saddi also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday.

The Hezbollah explosives case

Morcos said the Cabinet had not decided whether to refer the case involving explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar to the Judicial Council.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar submitted a draft decree proposing the referral, but the government has not yet added the matter to its agenda. “When it is presented to us, appropriate measures will be taken,” Morcos said.

On Oct. 5, the Internal Security Forces intercepted several hundred kilograms of explosives in a vehicle at a checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar, on the road between the Bekaa Valley and Beirut, and arrested its two Lebanese passengers. Military police later took custody of the men and opened an investigation.

Hezbollah subsequently claimed ownership of the shipment. “We informed the Lebanese authorities that the seized truck of explosives belongs to the resistance,” Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said on Thursday, calling on authorities to “quickly take stock of the risks and revisit the procedures underway.”