The cabinet held Monday a long-awaited session dedicated to the thorny issue of garbage exportation.

“The atmosphere is negative in the cabinet session and (Prime Minister Tammam) Salam will likely make a statement about the garbage file after the meeting,” MTV said.

“During the cabinet debate, Salam intervened several times, demanding decisiveness and criticizing the rejection of all solutions,” LBCI television said.

MTV noted that the cabinet was likely to fail to reach a decision “because most ministers are not in the picture of the latest developments.”

“The session will be mainly focused on the ministers’ questions,” it said.

Prior to the session, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told reporters that he does not support “hiking gasoline prices” to fund the garbage exportation plan.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement for his part noted that he would raise “many questions about the funding sources, especially regarding public funds and the municipalities’ revenues.”

The session was accompanied by a protest outside the Grand Serail by civil society activists.

Denouncing the manner in which the government has handled the waste management file, the activists warned authorities against “approving the exportation of garbage or hiking gasoline prices.”

“This would mean that corruption has not ended,” the activists noted.

They had long called for an eco-friendly solution to the garbage crisis that involves more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills and a bigger role for municipalities.

Lebanon has been suffering from a waste management crisis since July when the Naameh landfill that receives the trash of Beirut and Mount Lebanon closed.

The government’s failure to find alternatives led to the piling up of garbage on the streets and in random locations, which raised health and environmental concerns and sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class.

The results of the session were not guaranteed due to the secrecy engulfing the details of the exportation plan, ministerial sources had told An Nahar newspaper on condition of anonymity.

They said that the identity of the companies and the cost of the exportation remained unrevealed, in addition to the sources of funding, the duration of the deportation plan and whether it is a permanent or temporary measure.

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi of the Kataeb Party described the session as “not matching the standards because the ministers were supposed to get notified about the timing of the session 72 hours in advance.”

“That’s why we fear that the session would end up discussing issues without finding solutions that we are all eager for,” he said.

Y.R.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/197657-cabinet-discusses-garbage-exportation-amid-negative-indications
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Reports: Exporting Trash Sole Item on Cabinet Agenda

A cabinet session is scheduled to convene on Monday to tackle the thorny trash management file and the possibility of its exportation, amid reports predicting its failure due to the secrecy engulfing the details of the plan and the cost entailed.

Exporting the trash is the sole item on the cabinet’s agenda that will be held at the Grand Serail. Prime Minister Tammam Salam had stressed to his visitors on Sunday that no other items are listed on the agenda in order to avoid political controversies that could hamper the implementation of the plan, al-Mustaqbal daily reported.

“I hope that we would be able to end this file,” he told the daily, adding: “I am not optimistic nor pessimistic.”

Lebanon has been suffering from a waste management crisis since July when the Naameh landfill that receives the trash of Beirut and Mount Lebanon closed.

The results of the session are not guaranteed due to the secrecy engulfing the details of the exportation plan, ministerial sources told An Nahar daily on condition of anonymity.

They said that the identity of the companies and the cost of the exportation remain unrevealed in addition to the sources of funding, the duration of the deportation plan and whether it is a permanent or temporary measure.

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi described the session as “not matching the standards because the ministers were supposed to get notified about the timing of the session 72 hours in advance. That is why we fear that the session would end up discussing issues without finding solutions that we are all eager for.”

Furthermore, the prime minister will not include the issue of Lebanon’s joining the Islamic alliance that was formed by Saudi Arabia, nor will he accept any discussions in that regard during the session, the Kuwait daily al-Anba reported.

Salam will not include the controversial file of Lebanon’s joining the Islamic alliance but plans to hold a separate session for that purpose if any of the ministers brought it up during today’s session, added al-Anba.

Saudi Arabia unveiled last week a coalition of 35 countries from across the Islamic and Arab world that is aimed at confronting “terrorism.”

The announcement that Lebanon joined the alliance sparked objections in the country, with some officials saying that they were not informed of such a measure.

D.A.

M.T.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/197606-reports-exporting-trash-sole-item-on-cabinet-agenda
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Report: Trash Crisis Solution Not Final, Exportation Costs Still Kept Secret

Clear information on the actual cost of exporting Lebanon’s trash is still unrevealed, pointing to the possibility that a final decision on its deportation has not been finalized, An Nahar daily reported on Thursday.

“Reports are still reticent on the cost of exporting the trash, which indicates that the issue of financing is still on the table and has not been settled,” unnamed ministers told the daily.

There are some question marks on the possibility of holding a cabinet session soon to tackle the issue, they added.

The cabinet is seeking to close the trash management file before the year ends. To that end, Prime Minister Tammam Salam held a meeting at the Grand Serail with Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and President of the Council of Development and Reconstruction Nabil al-Jisr.

Shehayyeb had reassured after the meeting that the waste that has been accumulating in random sites since July will be removed, describing reports of hefty costs as exaggerated.

“Another meeting is expected to be held on Thursday,” disclosed Shehayyeb to the daily, adding that “further clarifications are needed,” and that “the file has some legal, technical, financial and infrastructure aspects.”

“The process of exporting garbage starts in Karantina and Amrousiyeh and ends at the (Beirut) port. We did not have such a mechanism in place and we will study it with the port’s administration and the head of land and maritime transport, Abdul Hafiz al-Qaissi,” the minister had said.

Lebanon has been suffering from a waste management crisis since the closure of the Naameh landfill in July.

None of the plans suggested over a five-month period to end the crisis succeeded over disputes between various officials, leaving piles of waste on the streets and random dumps throughout the country.

M.T.

D.A.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/197250-report-trash-crisis-solution-not-final-exportation-costs-still-kept-secret
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‘Optimistic’ Shehayyeb Says Garbage to be Removed, Reported Cost ‘Inaccurate’

In his capacity as head of the team mulling the export of garbage to foreign countries, Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb reassured Wednesday that the waste that has been accumulating in random sites since July will be removed, describing reports of hefty costs as exaggerated.

Shehayyeb voiced his remarks after a ministerial meeting at the Grand Serail under Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

“We will hold another meeting tomorrow afternoon for further clarifications, because this is a multi-pronged file involving technical and financial details,” Shehayyeb said.

“The process of exporting garbage starts in Karantina and Amrousiyeh and ends at the (Beirut) port. We did not have such a mechanism in place and we will study it with the port’s administration and the head of land and maritime transport, Abdul Hafiz al-Qaissi,” the minister added.

“We will also study the financial aspects with the minister of finance,” he said.

Noting that he is “optimistic,” Shehayyeb stressed that “the garbage will be removed,” warning of the crisis’ economic, health and environmental repercussions.

He also dismissed reports that the government will pay hefty fees for the export of garbage as “inaccurate.”

Ministerial sources had told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday that the finishing touches to resolving the garbage disposal crisis are being placed and that the ball is now in the Finance Ministry’s court to provide the necessary funds to ensure the success of the plan.

Cabinet will meanwhile be called to convene on Friday or Saturday at the latest in order to discuss and approve the trash export plan, they added.

Lebanon has been suffering from a trash management crisis that was sparked after the closure of the Naameh landfill in July without finding an alternative for it.

Disputes between officials over a solution to the problem led to the pile up of the waste on streets and random sites throughout the country, raising environmental and health fears over the hazards of the prolonged crisis.

The crisis has also sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class and a mass rally is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Y.R.

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/197230-optimistic-shehayyeb-says-garbage-to-be-removed-reported-cost-inaccurate