Berri Says Govt. 'within a Week', Relation with Aoun 'Excellent'

Speaker Nabih Berri announced Tuesday after talks with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri that the new government could be formed “within a week or less.”

“There are active and needed efforts and PM-designate Saad Hariri intends to intensify his efforts and he hopes to form the new government within a week or less,” Berri told reporters after the Ain el-Tineh meeting with Hariri.

“The Development and Liberation bloc and the Loyalty to Resistance bloc do not have a problem at all with PM-designate Hariri,” Berri added, noting that his relation with President Michel Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil is “excellent.”

The Speaker also revealed that “the 32-minister proposal has been binned and Hariri is not considering it,” adding that he would seek a caretaker cabinet session for passing the state budget as well as parliamentary legislative sessions should the formation of the government protract beyond the promised timeframe.

Asked about MP Jamil al-Sayyed's call for a parliamentary vote on withholding confidence from Hariri, Berri said: “I know what my duties are and what the country's components and interest are.”

Al-Jadeed TV meanwhile reported that Hariri visited Berri to “discuss the issue of pending portfolios – environment, information and industry – in order to prevent the emergence of a new obstacle when an agreement is reached on the candidate who will represent the Consultative Gathering.”

OTV meanwhile said that Berri “reiterated that the only solution is to represent the Consultative Gathering with a minister 'not shared with anyone.'”