Saniora Holds Serial Meetings on Cabinet Line-up

Head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora held on Tuesday series of meetings with leaders of March 14 alliance in a bid to speed up the formation of a nine months stalled cabinet and reach an agreement on the policy statement, An Nahar daily reported.

Saniora's meetings came in parallel with similar contacts between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea and Phalange Party Central Committee Coordinator MP Sami Gemayel that stressed the "unity" of the March 14 forces' stances.

Although Saniora's meetings revolved around key issues including the cabinet policy statement and the rotation of portfolios, An Nahar quoted sources following up closely on the matter and said that efforts in that direction seem to be “positively stalled.”

Sources close to March 14 camp reiterated to the daily that “the policy statement is a fundamental issue to form an all-embracing cabinet.”

The controversial line-up of the cabinet was put on the front burner after Speaker Nabih Berri proposed a revised 8-8-8 government formula and President Michel Suleiman assured last week that he would form a so-called neutral one if the political rivals failed to agree on an all-embracing government within ten days.

Amid the LF's rejection of Hizbullah's participation in the cabinet, the March 14 camp has reportedly accepted the 8-8-8 formula in principle, but it is awaiting answers pertaining to the ministerial policy statement and the rotation of portfolios among political parties.

The 8-8-8 formula divides ministers equally between the centrists and March 14 and 8 alliances, in which each get eight ministers with “decisive ministers” for the March 14 and 8 coalitions.