Following its meeting held in Clemencau this afternoon, the “Democratic Gathering” bloc issued a statement confirming that its members will name former PM Najib Mikati during tomorrow’s binding parliamentary consultations at Baabda Palace.

This comes in line with the bloc’s demand for a settlement to yield a rescue government that adopts the French initiative, and provides a real prelude for reform through negotiating with the International Monetary Fund to secure monetary, financial and social stability in the country.

Over the Beirut Port blast investigation, the bloc stressed “the role of the judiciary and the need to work diligently in order to uncover the truth and punish the criminals, and this requires that the process of interrogations be carried out and the immunities of all concerned officials be lifted without any exceptions and at any level, without constitutional or political jurisprudence.”

The bloc members also renewed their demand “to completely lift fuel subsidies in order to stop the depletion of the central reserve, which constitutes the remainder of the depositors’ money,” noting that this step would “automatically lead to the cessation of monopoly and smuggling, provided that it is coupled with a joint transportation plan that lifts the burden of movement off citizens, with the need to put the ration card into effect the soonest possible.”

Source: National News Agency