Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said that the solution to Lebanon’s political crisis lies in forming a new government rather than reviving the resigned cabinet.
In a chat with reporters, Hariri said he was assuming his duties as head of the caretaker government in line with the constitution.
Hariri spoke after heading the meeting of his Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc at the Center House in Beirut.
“Since submitting my resignation, I have been assuming my responsibilities as caretaker Prime Minister. I am surprised by remarks about the caretaker government because I do not see anything stalled at this level,” he said.
He added that it was not clear for him where he had “failed” in his job as a caretaker premier.
“PM-designate Hassan Diab has the task of forming a government with those who designated him, so let him form the cabinet with the president,” stressed Hariri.
Asked whether he was in favor of reviving the caretaker government, Hariri said: “I am with the formation of a new government, not with reviving a cabinet that resigned at the request of protesters.”
Hariri resigned on October 29, declaring he had hit a dead end in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite.
“Is there a light at the end of the black tunnel?” a reporter asked Hariri on Tuesday.
He responded by saying: “We can get out of this tunnel on the condition that we put our differences aside and give ministerial portfolios to whoever actually knows how to manage them.”
The Mustaqbal bloc meeting, which was chaired by Hariri, criticized earlier the delay in government formation, saying the political bickering over political spoils reflected “the denial toward the economic and financial dangers.”
