Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, chaired in the afternoon at the Grand Serail a ministerial meeting to discuss the electricity crisis, which included Ministers Ghazi Wazni, Raymond Ghajar and Talal Hawat, in the presence of PCM Secretary-General, Judge Mahmoud Makie and PM Advisors, Khodor Taleb and Hussein Kaafarani.

After the meeting, the Minister of Energy stated: “With regard to the 200 million dollars advance, HE Premier Diab and HE President Aoun signed an exceptional decision allowing BdL to open credits for the purchase of fuel for Electricite du Liban. The credit will be opened within two or three days, and the same goes for fuel ships to enter. Thus, we will be able to gradually restore the normal power supply, in a way that will enable us to use this advance for as long as possible until the summer pending other solutions, including importing fuel from the State of Iraq at reasonable prices and with deferred payment or through the formation of a new government.”

Ghajar added: “We visited Iraq last Monday and held negotiations with the ministries of Oil and Finance, and with the Central Bank; we concluded an agreement according to which Iraq will be providing us with five hundred thousand tons of heavy fuel. As for the payment modalities, an account will be opened at the Central Bank of Lebanon for the benefit of the Central Bank of Iraq. These are technical procedures that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Energy, but that of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of both countries. Therefore, upon completion of the relevant procedures, we will be able to import fuel from Iraq soon.”—PM Press Office

Source: National News Agency