Miqati Extends Hand to Opposition but Insists on Cabinet's Productivity
Prime Minister Najib Miqati said he kicks off a three-day visit to Paris on Monday with a hand extended to the Lebanese March 14 opposition coalition.
“I go to Paris with a hand extended to the Lebanese and mainly the opposition,” Miqati told An Nahar daily on the eve of his official visit to France.
“But pending a joint solution, the government will continue to be productive” and exert efforts to achieve “political and security stability in the country and openness to the international community,” he said.
The March 14 coalition called on Miqati's cabinet to resign after it blamed it for the Oct. 19 assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch chief Wissam al-Hasan in a car bomb explosion in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.
Miqati told An Nahar that Lebanon's decision to steer itself clear of the Syrian crisis would be the main focus of his discussions with French officials and mainly President Francois Hollande on Wednesday.
He said he will urge the officials to back Lebanon's decision.
Miqati also said that several economic, media and cultural agreements will be signed between the two sides.
According to An Nahar, Paris-3 French assistance is not on the agenda of the talks but Energy Minister Jebran Bassil will join Miqati and the accompanying delegation on Wednesday to discuss French aid to the electricity sector.
The PM and the delegation are scheduled to return to Beirut on Wednesday to take part in the Independence Day ceremony the next day.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://mobile.naharnet.com/stories/en/61210 |