Efforts Exerted to Remove Aoun’s Alleged Obstacles to Appointments

Contacts aimed at containing the rejection of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to appointing three candidates for posts in state institutions ahead of a cabinet session have so far failed to achieve results, An Nahar daily reported Tuesday.

While the newspaper did not name the candidates, it said that contacts are underway since last Saturday to resolve the dispute after Aoun complained that the involved officials hadn’t coordinated with him on the three candidates whose posts are reportedly part of his share.

Wednesday’s cabinet session has 52 items on its agenda as the government is expected to make a series of appointments to the posts of the head of the Higher Disciplinary Council, a member of the Council and a government commissioner.

A committee tasked with studying the names of candidates has also suggested the appointment of an administrative chief of staff at the Civil Service Council.

But the government will not make any diplomatic appointments on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told An Nahar that the cabinet will appoint diplomats as soon as discussions on their names have been completed.

According to the daily, there are 34 vacant posts for ambassadors after the retirement and the death of the diplomats.