The meeting is the second in two weeks, and it comes after Minister Harb announced he will initiate contacts between both parts in an effort to solve the MEA-LPA dispute and reconcile both parties.

Last month, MEA pilots were in strike for one whole day asking for adjusted working conditions, including better salaries for starting pilots and better retirement packages.

“Not positive,” said Harb describing the meeting. “In the first meeting, both parts agreed on some points and delayed others for this meeting… Today, an agreement could not be reached,” he said.

Harb said that the main point of dispute is that the MEA management says that it cannot financially afford demands of the pilots because its profits are expected to be hit by “the open sky policy and competition” this year.

Harb said that the management of the MEA will study demands of the pilots this week, and whether it can apply them. “Next week-on Monday-a final meeting will be held under my patronage to conclude the talks,” said Harb.

 “If an agreement could not be reached on Monday, and God forbids this happens, then the Ministry of Labor will stop interfering and leave it to the judiciary to settle down the issue,” the Minister said.

“Let’s hope that we can reach a solution on Monday… I have intervened because I sympathized with the pilots and the company which is a national facility, and its stability is of national interest,” said Harb.