2008-06-14

Mussa Wouldn't Interfere in Cabinet Forming

Mussa Wouldn't Interfere in Cabinet Forming
Hanan Awarekeh Readers Number : 156

14/06/2008 Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said Saturday he would not interfere in the forthcoming cabinet make up or distributing portfolios.

Mussa, talking to reporters after meeting Premier-designate Fouad Saniora, also emphasized that the Doha Accord's "general spirit" has spoken of a "neutral interior minister."

Obstacles facing efforts to form the new cabinet, according to Mussa, "are Lebanese problems" that the Arab Ministerial Committee does not interfere in. "All obstacles can be surpassed," he added.

Mussa, who flew in late Friday on a dual mission, is to hold talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Later Saturday, the Arab league chief is to attend the wedding of Berri's daughter to which he was invited by the Lebanese parliament speaker.

Talking to Lebanese daily As-Safir, Berri said that he doesn’t see any reason to delay the formation of the national unity government, thus it should be announced before Sunday, adding that the delay is not in anyone’s interest. As-Safir quoted key opposition figures as saying that there were no problems among the opposition figures; however the real problem lies in the Premier-designate.

Earlier, the Lebanese opposition has rejected two so-called baskets of a government line-up proposed by Saniora, according to the Lebanese daily An-Nahar. The daily quoted opposition sources as saying the baskets were designed as a "trap" to seek to stir up a dispute between Berri and the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc General Michel Aoun.

Saniora has "offered" the opposition two baskets of the new government line-up. The first consists of the ministries of finance, public works, education, tourism, environment, youth and sports, culture and displaced, while the second comprises the ministries of foreign affairs, energy, justice, economy, trade and commerce, agriculture, health and social affairs. The opposition sources cited the finance ministry post in the first basket and the foreign ministry in the second as reasons to believe Saniora's offer was a trap.

Meanwhile, so-called the March 14 alliance has reiterated a call for a demilitarized Beirut and targeted the resistance’s weapons. The stand was outlined by “March 14" coordinator Faris Soeid during a rally organized by Mustaqbal Movement Friday on the first anniversary of MP Walid Eido's assassination.

Soeid stressed on the giving the priority for Hezbollah’s weapon before any other issues because by keeping this weapon, it simply means “the end of Lebanon”, according to Soeid.

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