Bassil seeks UN action

Gebran Bassil called on the government to take the initiative through the Foreign Ministry to propose a new international resolution guaranteeing Israel’s withdrawal, the return of displaced people and prisoners, reconstruction, and the state’s exclusive control of weapons. He warned of a security vacuum as UNIFIL forces begin to leave in about a month and a half, at a rate of 1,000 troops per month. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam agreed on the importance of the initiative and said he would consult with the relevant parties before proposing it. On electricity, Bassil criticized the approval of a $100 million allocation, saying it would provide eight hours of power a day for just one month—meaning $1.2 billion a year would be needed to maintain the same level. He questioned the justification for the amount on the basis of $248 million in arrears, given that only $72 million had been earmarked in the budgets of the past two years. He attributed the sector’s crisis to mismanagement and the absence of a plan, contrasting this with the previous provision of 18 hours of electricity a day at a cost of $1.5 billion.

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