Report: Hizbullah Keen for AMAL Alliance and Shiites Unity

Hizbullah believes that an alliance with the AMAL Movement and the unity of the Shiites ranks is more valuable than anything else, even power, As Safir daily reported on Friday.

A source close to Hizbullah told the daily that a “coalition with AMAL and the unity of the Shiites is more important than anything else, even more important than power and its gains.”

The source stressed on condition of anonymity that “Speaker Nabih Berri is a key partner in the government, and those concerned must deal seriously with his demands if they want the new government to be formed in a sound manner based on the National Pact.”

According to As Safir, the comments of the Hizbullah source came in a bid to show respect for Berri's stance after he had rejected the nomination of President Michel Aoun for the post. The party believes that there is an “existential alliance between the two parties gaining top priority at this stage.”

Aoun was elected on Monday as Lebanon's 13th president, which ended around two and a half years of presidential and political vacuum.

Berri was against nominating Aoun for the post, but he received crucial support from Hizbullah and the Lebanese Forces.

Newly designated PM Saad Hariri was the key support that contributed to the election of Aoun.

Hariri's nomination and Aoun's election have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured.

Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will have to make reference to Israel, as well as the war in Syria, both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah.

The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.