Weekly cabinet meeting addresses Syrian cooperation

The Lebanese cabinet held yesterday its weekly meeting at the Presidential Palace at Baabda, discussing internal problems and the problems of the peace process and security in south Lebanon.

Lebanese Ministers agreed to prolong the duration of the function of municipalities until April 1998, the date of new elections. They insisted on the continuation of the real work of municipalities before the time comes for them to be replaced.

Minister of Information Bassem Assaba' said the ministers are satisfied with Lebanese cooperation with Syria, and they will firmly stand by Syria in any step in the peace process with Israel.

This was mainly the attitude of President Hrawi and Prime Minister Hariri, who stated that there will not be a separation between Lebanon and Syria in any case, and Minister of Displaced Joumblat as well. The latter read passages from the Al Taef Agreement, "to show to all Lebanese that the presence of Syrians in Lebanon is legal".

House Speaker Nabih Berri who is back from Teheran also gave his point of view, saying that "the decisions that were took were okay."