Lebanese cabinet meeting on trash crisis fails

An emergency Lebanese cabinet meeting on Tuesday has ended in failure in a bid to address the trash crisis amid street violence and calls for the feuding government to resign.

An agreement was reached, however, on cancelling all the tenders from companies to remove the piling garbage that have been previously announced.

Al Arabiya News channel’s correspondent in Beirut confirmed the withdrawal of members from Hezbollah and its allies, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Armenian Tashnag Party in Lebanon from the talks on Tuesday.

Six ministers from the Hezbollah group and its allies withdrew four hours into the meeting. Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil said he was also pulling out because of a "theater" being performed with regards to the trash issue, according to the Associated Press.

Beirut-based activists from the "You Stink" campaign held two large rallies over the weekend and a smaller march on Monday over uncollected rubbish, reflecting long-simmering anger about government incompetence and political corruption.

Protest organizers have called on Lebanese at home and abroad to join them in a large rally on Saturday.

Ministers arrived in cars at the heavily guarded Serail Palace on Tuesday and began their meeting. Workers erected concrete blast walls around the building on Monday, which protesters quickly covered with colorful anti-government graffiti.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Tammam Salam threatened to resign as public discontent brought thousands into the streets...
alarabiya.net
25/8/15
--
-
Related:

• Lebanon PM threatens resignation as protests continue...

• Lebanon protest postponed after Beirut clashes...