Hariri in Saudi Arabia to Spend a “Private Visit” Forgetting Cabinet Formation
Hanan Awarekeh
22/08/2009 Forgetting or pretending to forget that he has a government to form; Prime-designate Saad Hariri decided to leave every thing behind and went to spend “a private visit” in Saudi Arabia.
Two months have passed on his designation and the PM-designate has failed to form a unity government that would relieve the Lebanese and make them feel that they have a Cabinet to follow up their daily issues.
Hariri left Beirut for Saudi Arabia on Friday evening on a “private visit that will last for a few days.” This vacation did not surprise any of the Lebanese since they are sure that the birth of the new Cabinet would take a lot of time before it sees the light.
Before leaving, Hariri has not forgotten to congratulate the Lebanese on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, expressing hope that this month would "be an opportunity to overcome problems."
"I hope that all political groups as well as the Lebanese media would seize this opportunity to rise above wounds, to forget the harm, in order to renounce civil strife and put an end to political wrangling," Hariri said.
Meanwhile, An-Nahar daily reported on Saturday that President Michel Sleiman is expected to hold an Iftar dinner at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 1, to which all political parties will be invited. The newspaper also reported the president will make a speech during the dinner calling for all parties to reach common ground and focus on the key events in Lebanon, especially with regard to the cabinet formation.
HEZBOLLAH: WE’LL HANDLE REACHING UNDERSTANDING WITH AOUN OVER GOV’T
According to press reports Saturday, the political assistant of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Hajj Hussein Khalil told the president and the premier-designate that Hezbollah will handle efforts to reach an understanding with MP Michel Aoun over his pre-conditions for joining a future government.
A ministerial source in the Change and Reform bloc told As-Safir daily that the opposing team was not being "respectful of the rules to form a government."
"For the last time we say they cannot move past us, or form a government without the Free Patriotic Movement," he said, adding "they can discuss with us the distribution of portfolios, their size and number, but they cannot impose who we want to represent the movement in the government."
"We are not prepared to enter bazaars, full stop. If they are capable of forming a government without the FPM, then let them do that if they can," the source said.
On another level, a leading member of Hezbollah slammed accusations the party was obstructing the cabinet shape-up and has reneged on its promises to premier-designate Saad Hariri to mediate with Aoun. "All this talk about Hezbollah’s pledge to Hariri to mediate with Aoun over his demands for cabinet portfolios is mere lies and baseless claims," he told Al-Manar Channel on Friday.
"If Hezbollah really has an obligation toward Hariri to convince Aoun, then what was the purpose of the meetings between Hariri and his adviser with both (Telecoms Minister Jebran) Bassil and Aoun?" he asked.
In an interview with Free Lebanon radio, Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun said that Lebanon First bloc MP Ammar Houri’s comments on Saturday represent an opening that may lead to the resolution of obstacles in the cabinet formation process.
Houri reiterated the majority’s commitment to Hariri’s call for all parties to refrain from engaging in political disputes in the media.
The Social Affairs Minister also called on Hariri to contact Free Patriotic Movement leader MP General Michel Aoun to discuss the cabinet formation.
Aoun described the FPM leader’s demand to be granted the interior ministry as “rightful”, especially after the Roumieh Prison incident in which a group of Fatah al-Islam inmates attempted to break out of the country’s most notorious prison on Tuesday.
Aoun reiterated the opposition’s commitment to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula, which grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and the president five. He added that the formula is still valid. “Foreign countries are obstructing the cabinet formation,” he said, adding that Hezbollah is targeted more often than the FPM to encourage it not to enter the new cabinet.
Al-Liwaa daily also said that Hariri has asked Speaker Nabih Berri for the names of ministers who will represent Amal in the new government during talks in Nijmeh Square. It said that Berri "preferred to wait for the outcome of ongoing efforts to resolve the repercussions of MP Walid Jumblatt's recent position in addition to other demands before presenting his nominations for cabinet."
Hanan Awarekeh
22/08/2009 Forgetting or pretending to forget that he has a government to form; Prime-designate Saad Hariri decided to leave every thing behind and went to spend “a private visit” in Saudi Arabia.
Two months have passed on his designation and the PM-designate has failed to form a unity government that would relieve the Lebanese and make them feel that they have a Cabinet to follow up their daily issues.
Hariri left Beirut for Saudi Arabia on Friday evening on a “private visit that will last for a few days.” This vacation did not surprise any of the Lebanese since they are sure that the birth of the new Cabinet would take a lot of time before it sees the light.
Before leaving, Hariri has not forgotten to congratulate the Lebanese on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, expressing hope that this month would "be an opportunity to overcome problems."
"I hope that all political groups as well as the Lebanese media would seize this opportunity to rise above wounds, to forget the harm, in order to renounce civil strife and put an end to political wrangling," Hariri said.
Meanwhile, An-Nahar daily reported on Saturday that President Michel Sleiman is expected to hold an Iftar dinner at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 1, to which all political parties will be invited. The newspaper also reported the president will make a speech during the dinner calling for all parties to reach common ground and focus on the key events in Lebanon, especially with regard to the cabinet formation.
HEZBOLLAH: WE’LL HANDLE REACHING UNDERSTANDING WITH AOUN OVER GOV’T
According to press reports Saturday, the political assistant of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Hajj Hussein Khalil told the president and the premier-designate that Hezbollah will handle efforts to reach an understanding with MP Michel Aoun over his pre-conditions for joining a future government.
A ministerial source in the Change and Reform bloc told As-Safir daily that the opposing team was not being "respectful of the rules to form a government."
"For the last time we say they cannot move past us, or form a government without the Free Patriotic Movement," he said, adding "they can discuss with us the distribution of portfolios, their size and number, but they cannot impose who we want to represent the movement in the government."
"We are not prepared to enter bazaars, full stop. If they are capable of forming a government without the FPM, then let them do that if they can," the source said.
On another level, a leading member of Hezbollah slammed accusations the party was obstructing the cabinet shape-up and has reneged on its promises to premier-designate Saad Hariri to mediate with Aoun. "All this talk about Hezbollah’s pledge to Hariri to mediate with Aoun over his demands for cabinet portfolios is mere lies and baseless claims," he told Al-Manar Channel on Friday.
"If Hezbollah really has an obligation toward Hariri to convince Aoun, then what was the purpose of the meetings between Hariri and his adviser with both (Telecoms Minister Jebran) Bassil and Aoun?" he asked.
In an interview with Free Lebanon radio, Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun said that Lebanon First bloc MP Ammar Houri’s comments on Saturday represent an opening that may lead to the resolution of obstacles in the cabinet formation process.
Houri reiterated the majority’s commitment to Hariri’s call for all parties to refrain from engaging in political disputes in the media.
The Social Affairs Minister also called on Hariri to contact Free Patriotic Movement leader MP General Michel Aoun to discuss the cabinet formation.
Aoun described the FPM leader’s demand to be granted the interior ministry as “rightful”, especially after the Roumieh Prison incident in which a group of Fatah al-Islam inmates attempted to break out of the country’s most notorious prison on Tuesday.
Aoun reiterated the opposition’s commitment to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula, which grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and the president five. He added that the formula is still valid. “Foreign countries are obstructing the cabinet formation,” he said, adding that Hezbollah is targeted more often than the FPM to encourage it not to enter the new cabinet.
Al-Liwaa daily also said that Hariri has asked Speaker Nabih Berri for the names of ministers who will represent Amal in the new government during talks in Nijmeh Square. It said that Berri "preferred to wait for the outcome of ongoing efforts to resolve the repercussions of MP Walid Jumblatt's recent position in addition to other demands before presenting his nominations for cabinet."
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