| 03 Nov 2009 |
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Glimmers of optimism emerge on cabinet
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03 November 2009
BEIRUT: Conflicting rhetoric emerged on Monday with regard to the formation of new government as sources close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced optimism with regard to the probable conclusion of the process by Thursday while Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea accused Hizbullah of hindering the process in order to serve Iranian and Syrian international interests.
For his part, the Maronite patriarch accused Syria of maintaining the same old attitude toward Lebanon as he stressed that the issue of “weapons” is a pivotal concern that cannot be faced with silence, a reference to Hizbullah and the resistance.
Reiterating his latest stance, Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said the minority and majority cannot coexist in the same cabinet.
On Monday, a source close to Berri told The Daily Star that the cabinet could see light by Thursday, as the speaker intensified his efforts to reach a breakthrough regarding the deadlock governing the distribution of ministerial portfolios.
The source, who declined to disclose the details of the speaker’s proposal, stressed that Berri was conducting positive negotiations, adding that the cabinet make-up concerning the distribution of portfolios could be similar to that of the line-up in the current caretaker cabinet with only few amendments.
Meanwhile, Future Movement spokesman Maarouf Daouk denied during a telephone conversation with The Daily Star media reports that emerged earlier Monday claiming that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri headed for the first time, since his appointment as premier-designate, a meeting of the Future Movement bloc.
For his part, Zahle MP Okab Sakr, a member of the Future Movement, appeared to support the optimism emanating from Berri’s camp. Sakr said Monday that the majority had been informed that the cabinet formation delay wouldn’t continue for more than five or six days, given efforts by middlemen to facilitate the process, a possible reference to Berri’s role in suggesting new proposals in order to break the deadlock.
Sakr said Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun were still exchanging proposals, adding that Hariri couldn’t make any more concessions as he awaited the opposition’s response to his propositions.
Aoun late Sunday denied obstructing the cabinet formation as he emphasized that his demands were within reasonable and conventional norms.
“Those who claim that I am obstructing the formation pro-cess have no proof, but it seems they are basing their judgments on [their] intentions,” Aoun said.
Aoun insists that his Reform and Change bloc retain its current share of portfolios in the next cabinet, if the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios isn’t applied to all political parties.
However, Batroun MP Antoine Zahra, an LF official, reiterated past stances by March 14 figures, saying that retaining the same distribution of ministries as in the current caretaker cabinet would consolidate the “principles” of the May 7 incidents.
On May 7, bloody clashes broke out between pro-government and opposition supporters following the cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunications network; the clashes were followed by the Doha accord that led to the election of President Michel Sleiman and the formation of a cabinet that granted the opposition veto power.
Aoun is demanding that his party retain the Telecommunications Ministry, under the direction of caretaker Minister Gibran Bassil, as well as the Energy Ministry – otherwise, the group should receive other key portfolios, such as Justice and Public Works.
Metn MP Nabil Nicola said on Monday that another meeting between Hariri and Aoun had yet to be scheduled, in order to allow Hariri to conclude negotiations with his allies.
On Sunday, opposition leaders held a meeting in Rabieh to coordinate together possible solutions for the cabinet impasse.
The daily As-Safir reported Monday that Aoun refused Hariri’s proposal to give the Telecommunications Ministry to the FPM, but without Bassil at its head.
On the other side of the political divide, Geagea accused, in sharp language, Iran and Syria of hindering the cabinet formation through Hizbullah, which is standing behind Aoun’s demands, in an interview published by AFP on Monday.
“The regional forces that support the parliamentary minority have no interest in seeing a government formed for the moment as they await more favorable circumstances to reap more benefits on the international level,” Geagea said, a reference to Iran’s nuclear program and Syria’s efforts to improve ties with the US.
Meanwhile, Sfeir stressed on Monday that Lebanon couldn’t remain uninfluenced by its surroundings while the region is in turmoil, adding that the country is still resisting such difficulties.
“Lebanon is longing for peace, which still seems like an illusion,” given that “every time it is close, it evaporates,” Sfeir said.
Sfeir’s visitors quoted him as saying that the issue of weapons was a pivotal concern that couldn’t be faced with silence, a reference to Hizbullah’s weapons. According to his visitors, Sfeir added that the danger was “no longer foreign but rather domestic.”
The patriarch also underscored his latest stance regarding the impossibility of coexistence between the majority and the minority in the same cabinet as he expressed his concern over the delay in the formation process.
Sfeir also accused the Syrians of maintaining the same attitude toward Lebanon following their withdrawal in 2005.
“The Syrians ruled Lebanon for 30 years and still maintain the same intentions toward it,” Sfeir added.
Syrian President Bashar Assad told As-Safir in remarks published on Monday that the formation of the government was the responsibility of the Lebanese.
Assad said it was not the responsibility of the summit that brought the Syrian and Saudi leaders together to form a Lebanese national-unity cabinet.
Separately, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt called Monday for the formation of a cabinet based on consensus rather than unreasonable demands, adding that further delays in the formation process could lead to political and security instability.
© Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
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