Parliament's committee met yesterday

The parliamentary budget and finance committee met, yesterday, in the house of parliament in the presence of Minister of Finance Fouad Sanyura. The minister justified the 1997 expenditures.

He said that the government was only insisting on keeping the percentage of the deficit stable and that the proposed taxes could be modified. The deputies, on the other hand, declared that the 1997 budget should be studied before discussing the 1998 budget draft.

Speaker Nabih Berri, on the other hand, has called the deputies for a general assembly on Wednesday, to discuss some projects and propositions.