NNA - At the start of the cabinet session on Thursday, President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, highlighted the approval of the 2025 state budget in the previous meeting, urging the Finance Minister to monitor expenditures under Article 118 of the Public Accounting Law and to submit quarterly reports on spending.  

The President then briefed ministers on his meeting with the IMF delegation, announcing the formation of a committee led by the Finance Minister, including the Economy Minister, acting Central Bank Governor, two advisors, and Prime Minister’s advisor Lamia Moubayed, to follow up on the fund’s recommendations.  

“The IMF delegation stressed the importance of finalizing a program before summer, citing previous unsuccessful attempts. They emphasized that restoring confidence in Lebanon requires economic, banking, and financial reforms. The delegation also called for the appointment of a Central Bank Governor, the establishment of a unified data center for the Finance Ministry, and the passage of two key laws: Amendments to the Banking Secrecy Law and a Law on Banking Sector Restructuring,” President Aoun said. 

On recent developments in Syria, Aoun noted that security agencies, along with the Interior and Defense Ministries, were closely monitoring the situation to maintain full readiness.  

Regarding the release of Lebanese detainees, Aoun confirmed that four prisoners captured by Israel during the recent war were freed yesterday, with a fifth released today, following indirect negotiations.

==========R.H.