Lebanon's speaker calls first parliament session in months

BEIRUT — Lebanon's parliament speaker on Wednesday called parliament to convene next week in the first attempt for months to bring deeply divided politicians together to pass laws vital to keeping the paralysed state afloat.

Lebanese politicians, bitterly divided by their own rivalries and wider conflict in the region, have been unable to take even basic decisions, including where to dump the country's rubbish. The paralysis of government was laid bare again in recent days when the government failed to pay the army on time.

"The resumption of legislative work has become more than a necessity for the country," parliament speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement, calling the session for next Thursday and Friday. It was not immediately clear whether enough MPs would attend the session to secure a quorum.

Lebanon's main political blocs have been unable to agree an agenda for a legislative session, obstructing previous efforts to convene the chamber. One of the rare occasions parliament met was a year ago, when it extended its own term until 2017, after legislative elections were postponed for a second time.

"There is an agreement in principle on attendance of the session to pass important laws, otherwise the country will be in danger. We cannot continue in the country in this way — no government sessions, no legislative sessions, complete paralysis in the institutions of state," a politician close to Berri told Reuters.

Berri's statement did not say which laws would be on the agenda. The governor of Lebanon's central bank, widely seen as one of the only functioning institutions of state, told Reuters on Tuesday it was essential parliament convene to pass laws for development loans, debt issuance, and banks.

Parliament has also failed to elect a new head of state in the absence of consensus on who should fill the position that fell vacant when Michel Suleiman's term expired 17 months ago. Berri has called 30 sessions to elect a new president.

The unity government headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam is also barely functioning. It includes Hizbollah, which is backed by Iran, and Hariri's Future Movement, backed by Saudi Arabia.