Berri's on again - off again support for budget

Speaker Nabih Berri announced that he was not only against raising petrol prices but also against any taxes that would affect the poor, namely those proposed in the n.9 agenda along with the budget's draft.

This declaration is in sharp contrast to Sunday's relaxed atmosphere. Berri's sources, indeed, said that the battle over taxes wasn't finished yet. The president of the finance and budget committee, Khalil Hrawi, confirmed this statement by claiming that an agreement on the budget numbers doesn't close the tax issue.

Meanwhile, speaker Berri has postponed the committee's meeting until next week. Sources claim, however, that the committee's session is dependent on the expected meeting between Berri and Hariri.