Hariri to take “decisive steps” in coming days
Opposition holds second day of talks with Sleiman
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said on Wednesday that he will undertake “decisive steps in the next two or three days that serve the interest of the country.” “When it comes to principles I am very stubborn and will never overlook political matters related to Lebanon’s independence and stability,” he said during an iftar banquet.
Hariri added that he was keen to “preserve and exercise the prerogatives granted to me by the Constitution.”
On Monday, Hariri had submitted to President Michel Sleiman a government proposal that was quickly rejected by the opposition.
Hariri said he was still open to discussions with the opposition concerning his government proposal. “However,” he reiterated, “any government proposal should be in line with the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections.”
Hariri’s March 14 Forces won the majority of seats in Parliament during the June 7 polls.
Hariri is expected to take a decision on whether to step down as prime minister-designate or conduct further deliberations over the cabinet’s formation after meeting “anytime soon” with President Sleiman, Future Movement officials told The Daily Star on Wednesday.
According to the party officials, Sleiman will inform Hariri of the opposition’s demands and the Future Movement leader would act accordingly and decide whether to step down.
Should he decide to step down, Sleiman is expected to hold consultations with MPs this week to designate a new premier. But with Hariri holding the majority in Parliament, he is expected to be reappointed, renewing his mandate for the premiership.
Hariri attended on Wednesday an iftar banquet hosted by Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naeem Hassan. The iftar was attended, among others, by caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil, and vice president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan. Reporters who attended the iftar said the atmosphere was “quite friendly especially among rival groups.”
Also on Wednesday, a delegation of opposition representatives held talks with Sleiman for the second consecutive day at the latter’s summer residence in Beiteddine to discuss the cabinet line-up proposed by Hariri.
The delegation comprised Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil, the political aide of Hizbullah’s secretary general Hussein Khalil and Amal Movement MP Hassan Khalil; no statements followed the meeting.
The opposition delegation had informed Sleiman on Tuesday of its rejection of a cabinet proposal he had submitted to Sleiman on Monday.
However, the trio stressed their openness to more negotiations on the cabinet issue.
Khalil and Hassan Khalil held talks late on Wednesday with Hariri. As The Daily Star went to press no statements had been issued following the meeting.
Future Movement MP Ammar Houri told The Daily Star on Wednesday that Hariri was open to discussions concerning the government but insists on “three basic principles” which if rejected by the opposition would lead to his resignation from his duty as premier-designate.
According to Houri, the premier-designate “strictly opposes” the nomination of candidates who lost the race to Parliament. Hariri also insists on the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios among political parties, and wants to maintain the opposition’s ten-portfolio share as stated in his proposal, Houri said.
However, Houri stressed that Hariri would not object if opposition groups want to nominate their own ministers or if they wished to swap portfolios among each other.
FPM leader MP Michel Aoun insists that Bassil, his son-in-law, be reappointed for a second term at the Telecommunications Ministry. Bassil, who ran for one of two seats in his hometown of Batroun, lost to March 14 MPs.
For his part, Sleiman urged both the majority and the opposition to refrain from taking decisive stances and to keep communication and dialogue channels open to reach an agreement on the 15-10-5 cabinet make-up.
According to the Constitution, the cabinet’s formation decree is signed by the president and the premier-designate.
The agreed upon 15-10-5 cabinet structure grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and Sleiman five seats, which guarantees him the tipping vote while both the March 14 and the opposition are respectively denied absolute majority or veto power.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday urged all parties to abandon “fiery rhetoric” since it reflected negatively on the cabinet formation process. Berri’s visitors also quoted the speaker as underlining the necessity for ongoing dialogue because it benefited the country’s interests.
Following their weekly meeting with the speaker, MPs stressed that Berri was focusing his efforts in cooperation with the president and Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt on reaching an agreement over the cabinet’s formation.
Jumblatt said on Wednesday that patience was “the approach to be adopted” in order to reach a solution to the issue, “since all parties had agreed to a partnership cabinet to face regional challenges, particularly Israeli threats.”
“The country’s best interest deserves a few extra days of sacrifices,” Jumblatt said.
The PSP leader warned against “miscalculating” upcoming regional developments, while stressing the importance of Syrian-Saudi ties, as well as Iran’s role in the region.
Jumblatt was reported to have been mediating negotiations between opposition groups, mainly the Amal Movement and Hizbullah, on one hand and his ally Hariri on the other. Following his departure from the March 14 alliance in early August, the PSP leader has staked out the stance of a centrist political figure.
Separately, FPM’s Reform and Change parliamentary bloc reiterated on Wednesday their leader’s demands to give Bassil the Telecommunication Ministry along with a sovereign portfolio. Sovereign portfolios include the Defense, Interior, Foreign and Finance ministries.
Also, FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan stressed that Hariri’s proposal overlooked constitutional norms, adding that the president and the premier-designate should both discuss and agree on the cabinet line-up prior to the cabinet formation.
Meanwhile, the March 14 General Secretariat, following a meeting with Hariri in Qoreitem on Wednesday, accused the opposition of working upon foreign orders to obstruct the formation of a cabinet.
Conversely, March 14 and Zahle MP Nicholas Fattouch said he was disappointed with Hariri’s cabinet proposal, “since it did not include any figure from [the Bekaa town of] Zahle.”
The Phalange Party had also expressed reservations over the Hariri proposal one day earlier.