BEIRUT: Parliament was adjourned Wednesday, a move parliamentary sources said would buy time for officials seeking to resolve the dispute over the transportation allowance decree.

The lawmakers approved a total of four draft laws, including one stipulating a raise for Lebanese University professors, before Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for the adjournment at 2.30 p.m. Sessions will resume Thursday.

Berri held discussions with Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, a member in MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform parliamentary bloc.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Berri had held talks ahead of the session, which was expected to discuss two draft laws authorizing the government to set transportation allowance fees. The two officials were joined by Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan and Future Movement parliamentary head MP Fouad Siniora separately.

The session comes a day after news Tuesday that Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, who is at the center of the dispute for refusing to sign a Cabinet decree setting the transportation allowance, had submitted a resignation letter to Aoun.

Aoun said he would withhold Nahhas’ resignation until Parliament passes the decree governing the transportation allowance into law.

State Minister Nicolas Fattoush, who would become acting labor minister in the case of Nahhas' resignation, told reporters Wednesday that he had not received any official request by the Cabinet to replace Nahhas.

"Until this moment, there have been no new developments in the case of Nahhas' resignation, which has not been put into effect," Fattoush said.

Lawmakers managed to pass four draft laws during the session, which commenced at 10.30 a.m.

The law pertaining to a raise for Lebanese University professors met opposition by Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, who called for the bill to be withdrawn.

“[If it passes,] the salary of an LU professor will become much higher than a general director in the public sector.

Safadi said his ministry and the Civil Service Council were working on a law that would address the professors demands.

However, other politicians said the law should pass given that the agreement reflected one between professors and the government.