Obstacles of Telecom, Energy and Justice Ministries Begin Appearing

Premier-designate Najib Miqati and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun are at loggerheads over several portfolios despite a solution to the interior ministry which the FPM chief and President Michel Suleiman were bickering over for the past several months.

Al-Liwaa daily said Friday that Miqati and Aoun are competing over the telecommunications portfolio which is part of the latter’s share in the caretaking cabinet.

Miqati is seeking to nominate either the former head of the board of directors of Ogero Fouad Hamdan, a Sunni, or former minister Maurice Sahnawi or Nicholas Nahas to the telecom post. But Aoun is insisting on keeping the portfolio as part of his Change and Reform bloc’s share without confirming yet whether he wants to keep it with Caretaker Telecom Minister Charbel Nahhas.

Al-Liwaa said that the ministry could be part of the share of Aoun’s ally MP Suleiman Franjieh who has reportedly named MP Salim Karam as his candidate for the post.

An Nahar daily also said that Aoun hasn’t yet provided Miqati with an answer to his demand for the FPM chief to choose between the telecom and energy ministries.

However, according to al-Mustaqbal newspaper, Miqati agreed to give up his demands for the telecommunications and energy portfolios in favor of Aoun and that the latter has called for making the justice ministry part of his share.

The news reports come a few days after Aoun said that even if the interior ministry problem was solved, other obstacles would begin to appear.