Objective Solutions Essential to Restore Trust
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Future News on Sunday that it is likely the Telecommunications Ministry will be included in the president’s cabinet share. He added that the opposition should not be granted either the Interior or the Defence ministries as they are also within the president’s allocation. Najjar said that current Telecom Minister Gebran Bassil might be appointed to another ministry in the new cabinet.
Najjar said the new cabinet should either include key leaders or technocrats backed by politicians. He added that the current cabinet crisis could lead to a systemic crisis or further deepen sectarian divides that will harm state institutions. He therefore stressed the need to find objective solutions to restore trust among the Lebanese.
He also said Saudi Arabia is opening up to Syria in order to help form the Lebanese cabinet before looking to resolve other issues, adding that Syria will not change its position toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon or toward Hezbollah and Iran.
Najjar said that nobody in the opposition can cross the line “apparently” drawn by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun but that is actually controlled by Hezbollah.
In reference to the appeals presented to the Constitutional Council with regard to the June parliamentary elections results, Najjar said all media reports about the investigations’ conclusions are unfounded and he called on all parties to wait for the official results.