Hariri Meets Aides of Nasrallah, Berri, Wants Consensus on 'Competent' PM Candidate

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri wants the new government to be led by a figure who can confront the economic challenges, a media report said.

“Consultations over the alternative are ongoing and Hariri wants to be a partner in facilitating things through securing consensus on a competent figure who can confront the economic challenges,” MTV quoted Center House sources as saying on Thursday evening.

“Reports that the camp concerned with the designation of a premier is awaiting answers about suggested candidates are baseless, because Hariri’s answers have been passed on to the presidency,” the sources added.

OTV meanwhile identified three figures nominated for the premiership as Mohammed Safadi, Osama Mekdashi and Walid Alameddine.

TV networks later reported that Hariri was meeting with Hizbullah secretary-general's aide Hussein al-Khalil and Speaker Nabih Berri's aide Ali Hassan Khalil.

"The meeting tackled the governmental situation after Hariri's insistence on heading an exclusively technocrat government to address the social and economic crisis, amid calls for forming a political government containing some technocrats that largely resembles the current government," LBCI TV said.