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| 18/06/2008 National unity government hasn't seen light yet although a month has passed on the Doha agreement and more than two weeks on nominating Fouad Saniora to form the new government. Moreover, white smoke seems so far away that no one is predicting anymore the birth date of the cabinet.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated on Wednesday the importance of forming the government as soon as possible, refusing to stall on certain details for not doing so. Berri expressed his belief that basic ministries existed in the pre-Taif era when the president held the executive authority, not now.
After meeting Lebanese President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace in Baabda, Berri accused some politicians of "seeking to win the legislative elections through the formation of the government", noting that the dangerous rise in prices for commodities and gasoline must be dealt with.
The Speaker refused to portray the President as a side, saying he should remain the consensus president, stressing that no one was objection to giving the president two ministries, "but we are objecting to the attempts at using the government to weaken certain parties."
"It is a shame to say that after the election of President Sleiman we need foreign assistance to solve our problems," Berri said, renewing the national opposition openness on all proposals to reach a solution.
RAAD: LOYALTY BLOC IS 'INDIFFERENT" ABOUT GOV'T FORMATION
For his part, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad said the government could be formed immediately "whenever Saniora decides to be the head of a national-unity government."
Raad accused Saniora of defying customs in the distribution of state and basic portfolios. "The majority of Christians are represented by (the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc) General Michel Aoun, and he has the right to a basic portfolio."
He also said he believed the government was almost completed before US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s surprise visit to Lebanon on Monday. After her visit, however, Raad said he felt the loyalty bloc was "indifferent" about whether the formation dragged on.
GEAGEA ASSAILS AOUN: HEZBOLLAH, AMAL, SYRIA BENEFIT FROM HIS OBSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS
Indeed, the loyalty bloc continued on Wednesday attacking the opposition parties, claiming they were behind the delay in the government formation.
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea launched a verbal assault on the opposition parties, especially MP Michel Aoun. Geagea claimed Hezbollah, Amal movement, and Syria were benefiting from Aoun's "obstructive suggestions."
Commenting on Aoun's suggestion to revise the prime minister's duties, Geagea said adopting this proposal would drive some to call for the revision of the parliament speaker and other authorities’ duties as well, which would "require amending the entire constitution." | 
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