Hariri Submits 18-Seat Govt. Line-Up in Meeting with Aoun

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Wednesday met with President Michel Aoun and submitted to him a draft cabinet line-up.

"I submitted a complete government line-up consisted of 18 ministers who are specialists and do not belong to parties," said Hariri after the talks.

"President Michel Aoun will study the line-up and we will meet again. The atmosphere is positive and I have big hope that we will be able to form a government quickly," Hariri added.

He said such a government would "stop the economic collapse and the suffering of the Lebanese, rebuild Beirut and return confidence and hope to the Lebanese through the reforms that were agreed on as part of the French initiative."

Sources informed on the meeting's atmosphere meanwhile told TV networks that Hariri also submitted to Aoun the CVs of some candidates and that the president in turn presented a complete proposal regarding the government.

"There was an exchange of viewpoints over Aoun's proposal and Hariri's list and a discussion over some names," the sources said.

Further consultations "will be held soon," the sources added, while describing the meeting as positive and noting that Aoun and Hariri want to "cooperate to speed up the government's formation."