Hariri refers government formation to president

Saeed Dhahir
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-09-12

Lebanese Prime Minister-elect Saad Al-Hariri speaks at a news conference after meeting President Michel Suleiman Sept. 7. (Reuters/Dalati Nohra/Handout)

BEIRUT — After 72 days of tough consultations on the distribution of cabinet seats between the majority and minority, Prime Minister-elect Saad Al-Hariri has referred the task of forming a government to President Michel Suleiman, seeking to have the government formed before the president travels to New York for the Sept. 24 opening of the UN General Assembly.

Al-Hariri explained, "I proposed a government of national unity made up of 30 ministers on the basis of the 5-10-15 formula that would include all of the major parliamentary blocs. It would strike a balance and reflect the election results. My solution was based upon the principle of unity [so that] the government would be one that seeks to address the needs and problems of citizens, serve and protect the nation, maintain stability and security and reenergise the economy."

He added that, “The president told me that he would study my proposal. I am awaiting his reply.”

Al-Hariri’s plan would assign 10 ministries – foreign affairs, employment, economy, health, social affairs, agriculture, education, industry, works and a state ministry – to the opposition.

Opposition leader Michael Aoun, head of the Change and Reform Bloc, was supported by Hezbollah in rejecting the formation. He explained, "Al-Hariri does not want to negotiate over the government; he wants to form it as he wishes."

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV Channel stated that Al-Hariri’s formula for the government is potentially explosive. It added, "Al-Hariri has suddenly emerged with a

Meanwhile, former member of Parliament Mustafa Alloush defended Al-Hariri’s step, saying that, "It came as a result of the recalcitrance of his partners in negotiation over the past two-and-a-half months, as he attempted to reach a coalition government.”

Sources: LBC / Lebanon Files / Voice of Lebanon

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