Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati arriving at the Grand Serial in the capital Beirut. AFP
Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati arriving at the Grand Serial in the capital Beirut. AFP
Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati arriving at the Grand Serial in the capital Beirut. AFP
Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati arriving at the Grand Serial in the capital Beirut. AFP

Lebanon's new cabinet publishes ministerial statement setting out agenda


Gareth Browne
  • English
  • Arabic

Lebanon’s cabinet signed a ministerial statement on Thursday evening, officially penning its legislative agenda for the upcoming term

The statement was passed with “minor amendments” and is believed to list 2022 parliamentary elections and reforms linked to securing an IMF bailout among its priorities.

It will now be presented to the Lebanese parliament for a vote on its ratification, after which the new government will be officially sworn in.

The ministerial statement, which was agreed after three meetings by the new cabinet, serves as the government’s legislative road map.

Speaking at the start of the cabinet session, President Michel Aoun noted the speed with which the statement had been drafted.

"Their speed reflects seriousness and perseverance to implement required tasks," he said.

"I hope that everyone adopts this method of work, productivity, and cooperation, as it is one of the first reasons for success, especially since the situation is very stressful and time is precious".

Yet it is largely seen as a formality, with much of the text copied and pasted from previous years.

It will now be presented to parliament for a vote on its ratification, after which the new government will be officially sworn in.

Lebanon's Electricity Crisis - in pictures

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Company%20Profile
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

The biog

DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year

Updated: September 16, 2021, 3:33 PM`