Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received on Friday at his Ain el-Tineh residence the head of the Finance and Budget House Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan and MPs Nicolas Nahhas, Yassin Jaber, Hassan Fadlallah, Alan Aoun, Ali Ammar and Ali Fayyad.

Speaking in the wake of the meeting, MP Kanaan said they briefed Speaker Berri on the outcome of the work of the Committee, which concluded its review of the draft 2019 state budget, with the exception of pending items and allocations, expected to be approved in one session ahead of forwarding the final report to the Speaker. 

Kanaan also relayed the Speaker's absolute support for the legislative and monitoring work carried out by the Committee in less than a month, during which the Committee has held more than 30 consecutive meetings. 

"We assured the Speaker that we can reduce the deficit from 7.59 percent should the government shows response during the general session," Kanaan maintained. 

On the other hand, Berri received at Ain Tineh residence former Minister, Head of the General Maronite Council, Wadih Al Khazen, who hailed his pivotal role in addressing the aftermath of the recent incidents in Aley region.