The Council of Ministers convened on Wednesday at 3pm, in complete secrecy, a day after protests by retired military personnel had forced the cancellation of the session on Tuesday.
The meeting was announced by the press office of caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, just two minutes before the opening.
On the agenda were 61 items, including a presentation by Finance Minister Youssef Khalil of the draft Budget 2025 which would also be examined by the attending ministers.
On Tuesday, Mikati’s press office had indicated that the meeting, which was supposed to take place at 9am, “had been postponed to a later date which was yet to be determined.”
Obviously, refraining from setting a new date was aimed at preventing retired military personnel from resuming their protest movement to press for salary adjustments.
The retirees had blocked all access routes to the Serail on Tuesday, demanding that the government put the issue of a “decent” review of their salaries and pensions on its agenda.
Only four ministers were able to bypass the blockaded of streets and burning tires to gain access to the meeting: Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm, Industry Minister George Bouchikian and Sports Minister George Kallas. Mikati had arrived earlier at the Grand Serail.