Salam holds ministerial meeting and discusses the course of negotiations, ceasefire, and the financial and humanitarian situation

Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam chaired the regular ministerial meeting this morning. After the meeting, Information Minister Paul Morcos said:

Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam chaired the regular ministerial meeting, attended by a number of ministers. This regular meeting, as you know, is no substitute for a Cabinet session, but it is important for following up on developments and changes, whether military or political, as well as the needs of our displaced brothers and children.

Accordingly, a Cabinet session is tentatively scheduled for next Friday, with the date to be confirmed in the next few hours.

As for the topics discussed, the Prime Minister began by briefing the ministers on the framework of the negotiating track, stating specifically that there is follow-up on the practical arrangements related to the ceasefire amid the difficult regional situation. Developments related to the Israeli attacks were also reviewed, and emphasis was placed on Lebanon’s request to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Lebanon in the near future, with the aim of establishing a fact-finding mission in preparation for Lebanon presenting the matter to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He also asked each minister to explain what they had, particularly with regard to public finances. The Finance Minister spoke about the availability of salaries in public administrations for the foreseeable future, despite the challenges of the war, though there is, of course, pressure on public finances.

Accordingly, efforts were made to boost revenue collection, specifically revenues related to value-added tax. The Finance Minister and the other concerned officials also discussed ways to secure the financial needs of ministries and administrations, and how to improve revenues in light of the challenges of the war in general.