Once again, optimism that the cabinet would see light very soon did not triumph…
On Thursday, Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati announced after meeting President Michel Sleiman that the two agreed to give themselves more time before revealing the new government.
"After consulting with the President, we decided to wait in order for the government to live up to the Lebanese people's expectations," he said from the Baabda presidential palace. "We aspire for it to represent stability in Lebanon and avert strife among the Lebanese," he continued.
"We want it to be formed based on the constitution, because we cannot rely on unstable political foundations," he stressed.
"I urge the Lebanese to be patient with us … and I hope that we will announce the new government soon," the prime minister-designate said.
"We will not despair and we acknowledge the rights of parliamentary blocs to demand certain representation in Cabinet, but the President and I are entitled to our constitutional right that this government should represent all Lebanese," Miqati stressed.
Asked after the talks if he objected to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's acquiring of certain portfolios, he replied: "I want to assure that I did not get involved in any dispute with any side during the past three months."
"I did not place a veto on anyone and I only seek to achieve national interests," he highlighted.
Aoun to Miqati: Take Your Time
The head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun declared that the conditions for the cabinet formation are not yet available and called Prime Minister-Designate Najib Miqati to take his time in the process, saying that he should not be given any deadlines in this issue.
In a chat with journalists following a meeting with Faisal Karami, the son of former Prime Minister Omar Karami, Aoun stressed that he does not have demands, only rights. “If the government was formed, you won’t know the reasons of the delay. But if it wasn’t formed, you will know.”
Commenting on the premier-designate's statements that he will not give up in the formation, Aoun said: "His war is with himself."Addressing media reports that President Michel Sleiman is still insisting on maintaining the Interior and Defense Ministries, he stated: "Review the constitution. Rights are not opinions, but written words. I always speak based on the written word, which I respect. They are violating my rights and those launching the aggression should make concessions."
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