Lebanon PM says he will call cabinet to meet soon

BEIRUT: Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday he will call for a cabinet meeting soon after more than a month of political paralysis.

The cabinet has not met since Oct. 12, amid a row over the probe into last year's deadly Beirut port blast.

Mikati, who met President Michel Aoun earlier on Friday, added that the country was going through a "difficult and dangerous" phase.

"It is a miracle that the Lebanese citizen hasn't lost patience yet," Mikati told a meeting with the labour union, adding that the country could no longer afford to spend on subsidies of vital goods.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic meltdown described by the World Bank as one of the deepest depressions of modern times. The local currency has lost 90% of its value and three quarters of its population is in poverty.

Mikati's cabinet, which is focused on re-starting talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock much needed foreign aid, has been in political paralysis since an argument over the lead investigator of the Beirut port blast probe disrupted a meeting.

Mikati had said he would not call for another cabinet meeting until a framework for a solution over the matter was reached.