Report: Aoun Rejects Handing Energy Portfolio to his Allies
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is refusing to give the energy ministry portfolio to any of his allies in the Amal movement, Hizbullah, Tashnag and Marada parties to facilitate the government formation process, An Nahar daily reported on Thursday.
It quoted sources as saying that until late Wednesday, Aoun had not given a response to envoys mediating the cabinet formation process on a proposal to keep the portfolio as part of his Change and Reform bloc but not necessarily with an official from the Free Patriotic Movement.
Tashnag and Marada MPs are part of Aoun's bloc.
But al-Joumhouria said that a major breakthrough was made on Wednesday night when talks between the FPM and ex-PM Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal movement led to a deal to give Aoun a so-called sovereign portfolio in addition to another ministry that has a balancing role in return for granting the energy portfolio to a non-provocative consensual person.
According to al-Akhbar daily, at least one telephone conversation has been held between Hariri and Aoun, while caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil and Nader Hariri are in continuous contact to discuss the details of the cabinet.
The conflicting reports came as officials close to President Michel Suleiman told An Nahar that he was reassured with the path of the consultations on the formation of the government.
The intense talks between the different parties to resolve the cabinet deadlock delayed a meeting that was scheduled to take place between Suleiman and Premier-designate Tammam Salam on Wednesday, the officials said.
Salam is expected to visit Baabda Palace on Thursday, in a meeting described by al-Joumhouria as decisive.
The daily said the cabinet formation decrees could be issued on Thursday night if Suleiman and Salam were convinced that the line-up was constitutional and in accordance with the standards set by the president.
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