Al-Mustaqbal Lays Cabinet Delay Blame on Hizbullah but Says Ball in Court of Suleiman, Salam
Al-Mustaqbal bloc MPs discussed with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday ways to speed up the formation of a new government and launch national dialogue to resolve controversial issues, the head of the bloc, MP Fouad Saniora, said.
“The ball is in the court of the president and PM-designate to find ways to form a cabinet that would be based on either their proposal or would be made up of non-political figures,” Saniora said in Bkirki after holding talks with al-Rahi at the head of an al-Mustaqbal delegation.
President Michel Suleiman and Premier-designate Tammam Salam have supported the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the country's three major political camps – March 8, March 14 and centrists – would get eight ministers each.
But Saniora accused Hizbullah of obstructing the formation of such a cabinet despite reports that March 14 and mainly al-Mustaqbal had lifted their condition not to give the party's members any seats in the new cabinet over the participation of Hizbullah fighters in Syria's civil war.
He said the delegation's talks with al-Rahi focused on “the need to form a cabinet that protects the Lebanese.”
“We hope that the PM-designate would speed up the formation of the government to confront the major part of problems facing the country,” he said.
“Our meeting with al-Rahi was an opportunity to discuss several issues and mainly the challenges in the Arab region,” Saniora told reporters.
The lawmaker also called for the resumption of national dialogue under Suleiman at Baabda palace to resolve the country's controversial issues.
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