Hariri stresses Christian-Muslim coexistence as Lebanon”s message
Pm-designate keen to form unity cabinet gathering all main parties
Prime Minister- designate Saad Hariri stressed on Wednesday that coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon was the country’s true message.
“We want Lebanon to remain a place for inter-religious union and dialogue and we want Christians and Muslims in this country to maintain equal shares regardless of numbers of demographics,” Hariri told religious figures representing Lebanon’s 18 confessions during an iftar at his residence in Qoreitem.
Hariri reiterated he was working on forming a unity cabinet “that would gather all the main political parties so as to counter Israeli threats and tackle economic and social challenges.”
He added that promoting the tourism sector would be one of his government’s top priorities.
“I also wish to promote religious tourism, especially pilgrimage to Christian vestiges such as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Harissa and the southern town of Qana,” he said.
Almost two months after the designation of the Future Movement leader to form the country’s first cabinet following the June 7 parliamentary elections, his efforts to form a national unity cabinet have yet to pay off.
Hariri has so far maintained a reconciliatory tone, especially during iftar meals he has organized so far. On Tuesday, Hariri pledged to include Hizbullah in the upcoming Cabinet, in defiance of Israeli warnings against group’s participation in the Lebanese government.
The latest pledge came in response to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned Lebanon against letting Hizbullah into the new government.
Netanyahu said earlier this month that Israel would hold the Lebanese government responsible for any attacks on Israeli targets by Hizbullah.
For its part Hizbullah has also shied away from fiery rhetoric and has expressed willingness to help Hariri form a national unity.
A statement by Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc urged “calm and practical dialogue” in order to form a cabinet.
Hizbullah’s official in south Lebanon Sheikh Nabil Qawouk considered the challenges slowing the formation of a cabinet as “external rather than internal.”
“Domestic obstacles are superficial,” he said.
Qawouk said Hizbullah insisted on the formation of a national unity cabinet, adding that his group was “keen on maintaining a calm and positive atmosphere, and will not take sides.”
However, Hizbullah’s key ally Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun did not mirror Hizbullah’s tone.
Aoun said he refused to visit Hariri at the latter’s residence, “unless his MPs apologize for insults that targeted me and our demands are met.”
Conversely, Progressive Socialist party leader MP Walid Jumblatt slammed on Wednesday attempts to obstruct the prime minister-designate’s efforts to form a cabinet.
Jumblatt had told As-Safir newspaper in remarks published Wednesday that Hariri has “exerted every effort” to facilitate cabinet formation.” He revealed that Hariri was likely to “take new initiatives, in order to expedite and revive the formation process.”
“Hariri and I want a government that would act as a safety valve to face the challenges,” Jumblat said.
Meanwhile, another key opposition player Speaker Nabih Berri has remained silent on issues related to cabinet formation.
For the second week in a row, Berri did not comment to reporters following his meeting with President Michel Sleiman on Wednesday.
But lawmakers who met with Berri in Parliament Wednesday quoted him as saying there was a pressing need “to form a unity government to address dire social and economic matters.”
On Tuesday, Sleiman discussed the cabinet formation process as well as regional developments during a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Media reports on Wednesday said Sleiman was expecting a new round of talks to break the deadlock over the government.
Reports added that the president wished that a government be formed prior to his trip to the UN General Assembly on September 22 to deliver Lebanon’s address.
In an interview with NBN television on Wednesday, Aoun said that if Hariri wishes to discuss the cabinet formation process, “he’s welcome to visit me at my residence.”
The FPM leader reiterated that he was not obstructing the formation of a government, but that the process was rather impeded “due to external reasons that will soon surface.”
The March 14 Forces say Aoun’s demand for the Interior Ministry and his insistence that his son-in-law remain on as telecommunications minister have impeded the process. Hariri was reported to have rejected those demands.
Asked whether the opposition was willing to offer concessions in order to facilitate the formation process, Aoun said: “We have already given up three seats of our share in Cabinet on the basis of proportional representation and we are not prepared to sacrifice more than that.” Asked why he insisted on getting the Interior Ministry portfolio, he replied: “I am not discussing ministries. I presented an offer and still waiting for an answer.”
On Tuesday, the weekly meeting of the March 14 Forces, which was attended by all groups including the Phalange Party and the PSP, condemned what they dubbed as “the campaign targeting Premier-designate Hariri.”
“The campaign is a result of Saad Hariri’s adherence to the Constitution and his constitutional privileges in forming a government in cooperation with the president,” it said.
It said the longer government formation was delayed the more “Lebanon is exposed to regional disputes, especially in the face of repeated Israeli threats.”
“A certain political group continues its attempts to obstruct the formation process and placed the country in a state of tension,” the statement added.