Veto Power Undemocratic, No Major Obstacles in Cabinet Formation
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said veto power in the Lebanese government is not democratic, adding that he believed no major obstacles were facing cabinet formation.
"The idea of veto power in the cabinet is not democratic," Kouchner told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in an interview published Saturday, hoping a government would be formed away from tension and opposition.
The upcoming "government has to be able to function normally. We believe that steps for (holding) dialogue in the region help such a development," he said.
Kouchner also said at the end of his two-day visit to Beirut on Saturday that he saw no major obstacles in cabinet formation. He also told reporters after meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun that he believed all sides in Lebanon are working on forming a unity government.
"I am not responsible for the Taef or Doha (accords). But the French contributed to these agreements," he told reporters in Rabiyeh.
He also said that if a national unity cabinet was formed, this would mean a major progress.
Kouchner also held talks on Saturday with MP Marwan Hamadeh and later traveled to Syria where he will preside over a regional conference of French ambassadors.
The French foreign minister met with top Lebanese officials on Friday, including Hizbullah representative Nawaf Moussawi.