Hariri Won”t Step Down Again, Will Carry on Cabinet Talks
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was said to have no intentions of abandoning efforts to form a new government, but on the contrary, he plans to carry on with talks on a Cabinet lineup, the daily As-Safir reported Friday.
Citing Hariri circles, As-Safir said that the premier-designate has asked all MPs from the Future bloc not to engage in any argument with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.
It said Hariri”s request coincided with a "political attack" on Aoun from Christian leaders of the March 14 coalition.
Well-informed sources, meanwhile, told pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat that the Cabinet crisis is moving toward a settlement.
They said statements issued from here and there were "nothing more than efforts to improve Cabinet demands."
Al-Hayat newspaper, for its part, said political circles from both the majority and the Opposition camps stressed that the "pessimistic mood," which followed remarks made by Aoun in which he insisted he was holding onto the telecoms ministry, did not close the door on talks between Hariri and Aoun.
It quoted a source involved in the Cabinet formation process as saying that Aoun”s demands for a comprehensive Cabinet deal and his rejection to make concessions did not derail a meeting that was expected to take place between the former army general and Hariri, despite being postponed.
The source added that the Hariri-Aoun meeting will be held soon.