Saniora Slams Hizbullah, Urges its Withdrawal from Syria to be Included in Cabinet Lineup
Head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora reiterated on Wednesday that Hizbullah should withdraw from the neighboring country Syria before it participates in any cabinet lineup.
“There are only two options either Hizbullah returns from Syria and we agree on a cabinet formation together or a non-political government would be formed and we resume the all-party talks,” Saniora said in comments published in the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper.
He stressed that the 9-9-6 formula, which was proposed by Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, will only inflict further division and chaos among the rival parties.
“We have already seen the results of such a cabinet lineup,” Saniora stressed.
The Mustaqbal lawmaker pointed out that the main point of contention is “Hizbullah's military involvement in battles in Syria, shifting away from the Baabda Declaration that the party described as merely ink on paper.”
Saniora stressed that “two wrongs don't make it right.”
Asked if a cabinet that doesn't represent the March 14 and 8 alliances would survive, the ex-PM said: “such cabinet could deal with the people's daily interests and security, while we (March 14 and 8 coalitions) resume the national dialogue.”
Endeavors are ongoing to end the cabinet deadlock amid reports that President Michel Suleiman insists on forming it ahead of the Independence Day on November 22 based on any distribution of portfolios as long as the rival parties agree.
Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam continuously said that conditions and counter-conditions set by the rival sides have brought his efforts to form a cabinet to a stalemate.
Since his appointment to form a cabinet in April, Salam has been seeking the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the March 8, March 14 and centrists camps would each get eight ministers.
However, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed support to Jumblat's proposal to form a new cabinet in which the March 8 and 14 alliances would get nine ministers each and six ministers would be given to the centrists – Suleiman, Salam and Jumblat.
This formula prevents a certain party from controlling the government by giving veto power to Hizbullah and its team and another veto power to March 14, he said.
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