The committee in charge of drafting the ministerial statement of the Lebanese government held its first session on Friday at the government headquarters in the capital, Beirut.
The session was chaired by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, where the basic headings of the ministerial statement were discussed, foremost of which is the government's plan to confront the financial and economic crises and the government's perception of dealing with internal issues.
For his part, Hassan Diab said that the new government is facing a test to gain the confidence of the Lebanese people and the international community.
He stressed the government's keenness to quickly finish drafting the ministerial statement, and not to include loose promises but rather what the government can implement on the ground.
In a related context, the Minister of Information quoted the Lebanese Prime Minister as saying that the ministerial statement will include a government action map and a timetable for its work program.
She pointed out that the committee is working very quickly so that the ministerial statement can be completed before the constitutional deadline (one month from the date of the government's decrees), especially in light of the internal and external pressures and the exacerbation of crises.
The ministerial statement will then be transmitted to the House of Representatives following the approval of the government, in order to gain parliamentary confidence.
Sit-and hit
On the other hand, activists in the popular movement were beaten during their sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Council of the South Council affiliated to the Council of Ministers in the capital Beirut.
The sit-in came to denounce what the activists described as financial waste and corruption in the establishment, and they said that supporters of the Amal movement attacked them in front of the institution with the aim of trying to prevent them from staging in front of the headquarters of the South Council.
The Lebanese Minister of the Interior, Mohamed Fahmy, condemned these attacks, stressing that the security services will pursue the aggressors, work to arrest them and refer them to the judiciary to take legal measures against them.
Fahmy also described - in a statement - the attacks that the demonstrators were subjected to as "barbaric", indicating that the competent security services will not fail to pursue and arrest the perpetrators of those attacks.
Fahmy stressed that demonstrations and sit-ins are a legitimate right guaranteed by law and preserved by all human and moral norms.
It is noteworthy that the new government headed by Dr. Hassan Diab was formed last Tuesday, and includes 19 ministers, including 6 women.