| 19 Oct 2009 |
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Cabinet talks on hold as Sleiman in Spain
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19 October 2009
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman arrived in Madrid Sunday afternoon, leaving all deliberations related to formation of a government on hold pending his return later in the week. However, all groups in Lebanon seemed to agree on Sunday that conditions to form a government were ripe. Over the weekend, politicians from across the political spectrum voiced optimism that the government could be formed within the next 10 days.
A series of meetings to discuss cabinet formation took place over the weekend, and the outcomes of all those were described as “positive.”
Sleiman held talks over the weekend with Prime-Minister-designate Saad Hariri at the Baabda Palace. Sources close to Sleiman said the president thought the meeting was “positive and good and the atmosphere is better.”
Following the talks, Hariri told reporters that the discussions over the makeup of the cabinet “will continue through the next three or four days and a breakthrough is imminent.”
Hariri added that the results of his meetings with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun “will materialize soon.”
“These meetings are held for Lebanon’s sake,” he added.
Aoun and Hariri held their most recent meeting on the government formation late Friday evening.
While the meeting was described as positive by Aoun’s circles, media reports said that the dispute over the Telecommunications MinistryTelecommunications Ministry
was still a source of controversy.
was still a source of controversy. Aoun insists that the ministry remain part of his share in the next government.
Media Reports on Saturday said one suggestion to solve the controversy over the Telecommunications MinistryTelecommunications Ministry was to have President Sleiman give Aoun the Interior Ministry.
was to have President Sleiman give Aoun the Interior Ministry. Opposition sources told An-Nahar newspaper that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem that Sleiman takes charge of the Telecommunications MinistryTelecommunications Ministry and appoint a minister that pleases Aoun.
and appoint a minister that pleases Aoun. Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and FPM politburo member Issam Abu Jamra stressed that giving the Telecommunications MinistryTelecommunications Ministry to a candidate appointed by Sleiman, even if the candidate was accepted by Aoun, would not be a solution that satisfies the ambitions of the FPM.
to a candidate appointed by Sleiman, even if the candidate was accepted by Aoun, would not be a solution that satisfies the ambitions of the FPM. Abu Jamra also told the Central News Agency on Saturday that the new government would not be formed before Sleiman’s return from Spain.
Regarding the Telecommunications MinistryTelecommunications Ministry, Abu Jamra said the issue was “still under negotiation.”
, Abu Jamra said the issue was “still under negotiation.” Media reports over the weekend said Hariri was currently working out the details of the distribution of portfolios.
Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, meanwhile, quoted diplomatic sources in Beirut as saying that the Syrian leadership had informed Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who visited Syrian and Lebanon last week, that it expected the Lebanese government to be formed within 10 days.
Sleiman traveled to Madrid Sunday on a three-day visit for talks with King Juan Carlos and top Spanish officials.
During his stay in Madrid, Sleiman will meet Juan Carlos, Zapatero and heads of the Congress and Senate.
Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Defense Minister Elias Murr and Tourism Minister Elie Marouni are part of Sleiman’s delegation to Spain. First lady Wafaa Sleiman is also accompanying the president.
On Saturday, Sleiman urged security forces to work on preserving Lebanon’s stability.
Speaking at the opening of “Decentralization in the Middle East” conference in the northern coastal city of Tripoli, Sleiman said administrative decentralization should be a major item of the new government’s policy statement.
“We want real administrative decentralization that gives financial and economical independence to local councils and does not deny the central state its role,” he added.
The president stressed that the next government “should not be based on shares but should rather serve the interests of citizens.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri voiced hope on Saturday that the premier-designate would soon announce the formation of a government.
Speaking during a ceremony to mark the inauguration of Sheikh Bahaeddine al-Aamili Library in the Beirut southern suburbs, Berri said a spirit of tolerance should be promoted in Lebanon, “allowing us to present our country as a model for coexistence in the region.”
Berri called on the Lebanese to rise above sectarianism and “not fall victim to mutual mistrust.”
The speaker stressed that the Lebanese should protect their country starting with the south, saying that the nation that does not protect its borders cannot protect its capital. “The resistance and the army should be preserved in addition to anything that makes our country more immune,” he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said Sunday if the cabinet formation continues to be delayed then “we will enter the danger zone,” adding that the municipal elections might be postponed for technical, not political reasons.
Speaking to LBC television, Baroud said the 2010 municipal elections in May “require legal, logistical and security efforts that cannot be achieved if Lebanon remains without a government.”
Baroud said there was no alternative to the municipal elections, but the Parliament can decide to postpone them and extend the mandate of the incumbent municipal councils.
In other news, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister and Middle East envoy Alexander Sultanov, who visited Lebanon over the weekend, denied any Russian mediation in the formation of a new government.
Sultanov stressed that talks he held with President Sleiman and Foreign Minister Salloukh on Saturday covered regional issues and the future of the Middle East peace process.
“We agreed to double the efforts with the concerned parties and the international community to contribute to the resumption of [peace] talks as soon as possible,” Sultanov told reporters. – The Daily Star
© Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
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