Berri: March 8 No Longer Unified on Internal Issues
Efforts to line-up the cabinet gained momentum on Tuesday as PM-designate Tammam Salam met a number of officials and held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri who said that March 8 is no longer unified, and that each of its components will negotiate Salam separately on the cabinet formation, according to As-Safir.
Berri told Salam that the Amal Movement and Hizbullah will negotiate on their share in the cabinet separately from their ally Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun, according to the daily.
“We agree with Aoun that there are differences in view within the March 8 about some internal issues, mainly on the issue of the cabinet formation. Each party is to negotiate only on its own share in the cabinet,” Berri said.
“March 8 that used to include Amal movement, Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement is no longer unified to negotiate on internal issues,” he added, but stressed that strategic understanding still exists among the said parties regarding the resistance and the conflict with Israel.
On the cabinet formation process, the Speaker added that previous demands of March 8 to obtain veto power in the cabinet are dropped in light of the differences that emerged among the alliance's members on extending the parliament's term and Army Chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji's tenure and on the role of the constitutional council.
Disputes between the FPM and Hizbullah emerged after Aoun openly opposed the extension of Qahwaji's term while Hizbullah never made such a position.
Qahwaji's term ends this September when he turns 60, the maximum age for the post of the army commander.
Berri added that he is keen to facilitate Salam's mission and will therefore submit a long list of candidates to the PM-designate, and is willing to introduce changes to that if it does not meet Salam's approval.
He added that Amal Movement and Hizbullah demand to have 5 ministers in a cabinet of 24-members or 6 ministers in a cabinet of 30.
On the demands of March 14 to return retired Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi to his post and extend the term of the Army chief, Berri suggested that the alliance put its request forward in a cabinet session.
“I don't mind. Let them propose the issue in an extraordinary cabinet session, and if they did not agree, then the parliament would tackle the issue.”
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