March 25: Cabinet Meeting, Parliament Session Over 2 Major Issues

by **Admin** Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:42 am

The Lebanese cabinet decided early Wednesday to hold a session on March 25 for a final decision about Lebanon's participation in the Arab summit, the same day parliament is scheduled to make a 17th attempt to elect a new president.

The government will hold a session next Tuesday "to continue discussion and take the proper decision" about Lebanon's participation or boycott of the March 29-30 summit in Damascus, said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi following the six-hour session, which ended after midnight.

There is a tendency to "boycott the summit because the invitation wasn't delivered in a proper way," Minister of State for Administrative Reform Jean Oghassabian told Future News Television.

The cabinet meeting is expected to be held Tuesday evening as parliament is scheduled to hold a session the same day to elect a new head of state.

But Lebanese media on Wednesday were pessimistic about the election of a president on March 25 after 16 previous attempts have been postponed amid a deadlock between the majority and the opposition.