Hizbullah Intervenes in Bid to Soften Aoun's Demand on Miqati

Hizbullah has reportedly stepped in to try to soften Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's demands for government formation.

Aoun has been insisting he wants the interior ministry in the new government to be formed by Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati.

Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Wednesday said contacts were ongoing between Miqati, via his brother, Taha Miqati, and the Syrian leadership.

It quoted sources from the March 8 alliance as saying that Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's political aide Hussein Khalil was closely following up ongoing negotiations between Taha Miqati and FPM official and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.

In the absence of any reaction from Hizbullah or its allies in the March 8 coalition, Nasrallah is scheduled to deliver a televised speech on Wednesday to address the issue of government formation.

His speech is to be followed by a television appearance for Aoun on his Orange TV.

FPM official Salim Salhab on Wednesday acknowledged the existence of a dispute over the interior ministry.

“No doubt there is a conflict over the interior ministry portfolio. But I don’t believe it is the key obstacle since there is a possibility to find a solution in this regard,” he told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

He pledged, however, that the FPM, would do “anything” to facilitate a Cabinet lineup, adding that there is a tendency to form a one-sided government.

Meanwhile, AMAL MP Michel Moussa said government formation was delayed to give negotiators a chance to bring the March 14 alliance into the government.

“But today after March 14 made up its mind that it would not participate in the government, Miqati is moving fast toward government formation,” Moussa told Al-Mada radio station.

Also Wednesday, Caretaker Education Minister Hasan Mneimneh reiterated that Hizbullah has staged a coup by imposing Miqati to head a new government.

“The picture has been clear since the Black Shirts’ (Hizbullah) coup. We can see the disputes among March 8 while the citizen pays the price for the new government policy,” he said.