Mustaqbal Says Govt. Obstacles 'Domestic', Slams Talk of Syria 'Approval'

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday emphasized that “domestic” and not “foreign” obstacles are delaying the formation of the new government as it condemned claims about the need for a “prior approval from the Syrian regime.”

“As the bloc stresses that the formation process is facing domestic obstacles and rejects claims that there are foreign diktats..., it has also taken note that some have volunteered to carry direct messages linking the formation of the government to the prior approval of the Syrian regime,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, adding that Damascus can only “dream” of having a say in the matter.

Underlining that “domestic consensus” is “the only way to form a government and regularize the work of state institutions,” Mustaqbal underscored that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri “will exhaust all forms of dialogue in order to exit the dilemma of obstacles and launch the work of the government.”

The bloc also reassured that “the PM-designate will not back down from his endeavor to form a national accord government.”

Hariri was tasked with forming a new government on May 24. His mission is being hampered by political wrangling over shares, especially over Christian and Druze representation. Some parties such as Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement have suggested that foreign countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are behind the ongoing delay.