Contacts are underway between the Lebanese political leaders to reach an agreement on the formation of the new government and the distribution of ministerial portfolios.
While caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri is likely to be reassigned, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is expected to decide, in its meeting this Thursday, whether it would participate in the government or move to the opposition.
In comments on Wednesday, Speaker Nabih Berri called for “understanding the seriousness of the current situation, and removing obstacles hindering the formation of the government.”
Berri was speaking during a parliamentary meeting. He discussed with deputies the outcome of the International Support Group’s conference held in Paris and expressed his concerns over “the future of the country in light of the ongoing crises that require speed in resolving the government file.”
“This conference is a strong indication that the international community cares more about Lebanon, its stability, and security than some of the Lebanese,” he said.
Berri sent a letter through MP Salim Aoun to the head of the FPM, caretaker Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, stressing that he would not be satisfied with the movement’s absence from the government.
In a television interview, Salim Aoun said that the FPM’s Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc would decide this Thursday whether it would agree to join the new government, or move to the opposition and refrain from nominating Hariri.
A dispute erupted in the last meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc, between those who supported joining the ranks of the opposition and those who rejected it, sources with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Meanwhile, Hariri is still holding on the need to form a technocrat cabinet, reiterating his refusal to head any politically-impregnated government, according to sources.
The sources added that the outcome of the Paris conference has strengthened the caretaker premier’s position. The international community has stressed that releasing financial aid to Lebanon depended on the country’s implementation of the required reforms, beginning with the electricity file.
