BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Sunday the labor minister will eventually sign the decree governing the transportation allowance, and expressed confidence that the Cabinet crisis would end soon.

“Eventually, he [Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas] has to sign the decree given that the work of the government cannot [proceed] unless ministers respect Cabinet decisions,” Charbel told The Daily Star.

After suspending Cabinet sessions on Feb 1, Prime Minister Najib Mikati signaled that Cabinet would resume its work once Nahhas, part of MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc, signs the transportation allowance decree.

Nahhas has refused to sign the decree, contending that it should be ratified by Parliament first. However, he did sign the decree containing Cabinet’s decision to raise the minimum wage.

Parliament is expected to vote on two draft laws, one prepared by Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan and another by Future Bloc MP Nabil de Freij, which would authorize the Cabinet to set transportation and education allowances. If agreement is reached on either of the two proposals, this could open the way to a full resumption of Cabinet work.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas said Sunday that the Cabinet crisis should end before Wednesday's legislative session and that Mikati should not bow to pressure.

In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper, Nahhas said: "The crisis should end before Wednesday ... without the prime minister offering any comprise solutions."

He added that Aoun’s minister’s refusal to sign a decree could set a precedent that would weaken governmental institutions.

Nahhas also said that members of Mikati's ministerial bloc have made an effort to the crisis to a close, but "if they fail, then it would appear that the issue goes deeper than what we are seeing."

Charbel, however, said that the issue between Mikati and Aoun’s ministers was not personal, voicing optimism that the crisis would not last much longer.

“The crisis will certainly be resolved soon,” he said, but added that the dispute behind it would have to be tackled first.

Both Aoun and Mikati have accused each other of obstructing the work of the government, with Aoun describing the prime minister’s step to suspend Cabinet sessions as a constitutional violation.

Mikati has said that Cabinet sessions will resume when the parties agree on a mechanism that ensures governmental work runs smoothly.