NNA - The Council of Ministers, which convened under the chairmanship of President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Cabinet ministers this morning at Baabda Palace, decided to issue the 2025 state budget in a decree.

It was agreed that the ministries would prepare a detailed list of the needed reforms for every ministry and set a timetable for their implementation. It has also been agreed to resume work according to a transparent mechanism for future administrative appointments, in addition to forming regulatory bodies in coordination with the Ministry of Administrative Development and the Civil Service Council.

For his part, President Aoun briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his visit to Saudi Arabia and his participation in the extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo. President Aoun stressed that "the Council of Ministers has the authority of taking decisions, not parties or sects."

"We are here to make decisions, not to obstruct," he said.

Briefing the Cabinet on his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President Aoun underlined the importance of this visit.

Aoun said “there is Saudi willingness to help Lebanon once the needed reforms are implemented,” adding “I stressed during the meeting that the reforms are a Lebanese demand before being a foreign demand, and we intend to carry them out in light of Lebanon’s need for them.”

The President of the Republic also revealed that there will be a second visit to Saudi Arabia after Eid al-Fitr, in which a number of ministers will participate to sign agreements between the two countries, "which will give additional impetus to Lebanon."

Premier Salam, in turn, stressed that "the Council of Ministers today launched a comprehensive reform workshop based on the ministerial statement at various administrative, financial and judicial levels.” Premier Salam also stressed the necessity of completing the reform provisions of the Taif Agreement.

On the subject of the state budget, Salam said the Cabinet approved issuing the 2025 state budget in a decree, adding that the Cabinet tasked the Minister of Finance with preparing a draft law within a week to review the fees included in the budget to avoid any socio-economic impact on citizens.

He concluded: "The most important thing is that we will focus on preparing the 2026 state budget.”

Ahead of the session, President Aoun and Premier Salam held a private meeting to review the latest developments and overall situation in the country.

============== L.Y