Prime Minister Saad Hariri denied that the work on the 2020 draft budget law has been suspended while waiting for an agreement on the necessary reforms. He said: “We are working on all files at the same time. There is a focus on reforms these days, to see what can be included in the budget.”

In a chat with journalists, Hariri described his meeting with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil as very good and said: “There is an abnormal attack on the country. It is true that we have problems, but the government is working to solve the problems. There is a great effort from the government and, hopefully, we will get out of this crisis.”

Asked if the relationship with Minister Bassil would be mended, he answered: “Nothing happened to this relationship that needs to be mended”.

Reforms committee

Earlier, Hariri chaired the Ministerial committee tasked with studying the economic and financial reforms, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani and Ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Mohammad Fneish, Jamal Jarrah, Mansour Bteich, Mohammed Choucair, Saleh Gharib, Salim Jreissati, Youssef Fenianos, Camille Abu Suleiman, Wael Abou Faour, Adel Afiouni and a number of advisors.

After the meeting, Jarrah said: “The Financial and Economic Reform Committee held its session today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Hariri. 

The Minister of Telecommunications explained the situation of the sector, the prospects to improve the telecommunications situation in Lebanon and his strategic vision for the future of the sector in Lebanon. 

After that, we moved to the Public Procurement Law. The Institut Bassel Fuleihan explained the new law, which takes into account the highest international standards, and was done at the Ministry of Finance. The law will be discussed later in detail, approved in the Council of Ministers and sent to Parliament”.

Question: What is your response to the request of the financial prosecutor to interrogate you in the communication file? 

Jarrah: Of course, Judge Ali Ibrahim asked to hear me when I was a deputy. I consulted Speaker Nabih Berri and he told me not to go. After I became a minister, Judge Ibrahim asked to hear me so I visited him and talked to him about the file at the time, but now the situation has changed a little. Today there are procedures that we must follow, and there is a law that fosters the relationship between ministers, the judiciary and the public finance prosecution. We have nothing to hide. When a parliamentary commission of inquiry was put forward, we said that we are ready for such a committee, provided that it would be public and that all media would be present. We have no objection to this, in order to inform the Lebanese public about all the rationale and put an end to these daily accusations by responsible people, who tell the public opinion that there is corruption and squander in the Ministry of communications.

Hence, if there is a parliamentary commission of inquiry, let it be public in order to stop these talks, and speak the language of numbers, at a time when no one in the country wants to speak in the language of numbers. Everyone wants to launch theories according to his political mood. There are numbers and major achievements in the Ministry of Communications that Minister Mohammed Choucair is pursuing. Whoever wants to discuss numbers, data and facts is welcome. Whoever wants to talk about politics, let him talk alone. In the previous period we did not respond to anyone, but from now on we will respond to all.

Question: Isn't the financial prosecutor entitled to ask to hear a minister?

Jarrah: Legally not. Even the financial prosecutor, when he called he ministers, he talked about it in the media, which is illegal. Second, it is necessary to take the opinion of the Prosecutor General in this matter, and this did not happen. For our part, when the procedure is legal, we will consider the subject.