Berri: Delay to Adopt Budget Indirect Attempt to Punish South

An agreement over the Council of the South was reached between Berri and Premier Fouad Saniora during a meeting this week under the auspices of President Michel Suleiman.

However, "the provisions of the understanding have not been executed despite several meetings between the minister of finance and the Council of South presidency," sources close to Berri told As-Safir.

In an interview with the same daily, Finance Minister Mohammad Shatah called for "objectivity" in handling the issue of both budgets. Talks over the Council of the South budget "are proceeding on a positive track," he said, despite major delays in appropriating the 2009 state budget.

Meanwhile, Berri slammed a recent media campaign that thanked Arab countries for their support "but intentionally forgot Syria and Iran."

"It seems that the failure to pay the balance of the Council for South is a premeditated design to hide the support of these countries for Resistance and liberation," Berri said.