Report: Imminent Progress Unlikely in Govt. Formation Process

Circles close to PM-designate Najib Miqati have ruled out chances of “progress” in the government formation process between President Michel Aoun and Miqati, according to media reports.

The sources told the PSP's al-Anbaa news portal, in remarks published Monday, that the Free Patriotic Movement’s intentions are not “right,” otherwise the government would have been formed since the first meeting between Aoun and Miqati.

They revealed that Aoun is still demanding the interior and the justice portfolios, and that having the interior portfolio is for him “a matter of life or death.”

The sources added that Aoun is demanding the Interior portfolio “to ensure (FPM chief) Jebran Bassil's victory in the upcoming elections” that the new government will be supervising.

The circles revealed that "Miqati is trying to assign the Interior portfolio to a neutral, independent and reliable person” and that “it makes no difference to him whether this person is Sunni or Christian.”

They added that Aoun refused Miqati’s approach and that Miqati will give himself “a period of ten days to form a government or step back.”

The circles linked Miqati's success in forming the government to “the ambiance of the expected Baabda meeting,” which can be “optimistic” and might lead towards government formation “or not.”