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| 27/06/2008 Reports on the government formation process said that the next couple of days are crucial as the Cabinet could be announced within the next day or two.
The daily An-Nahar on Friday said the issue over cabinet portfolios has been settled after Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora agreed to give Change and Reform parliamentary bloc leader MP General Michel Aoun a sovereign post – deputy premier.
Saniora dispatched his adviser, Mohammad Shatah, to visit Aoun "to discuss suggestions concerning the cabinet make-up."
For its part, the Al-Akhbar newspaper said the positive change has emerged after President Michel Suleiman and the ruling camp were told that "no way will the opposition approve a cabinet line-up without giving Aoun what he deserves."
Meanwhile, the daily As-Safir said Aoun will hold a round of talks with his allies in the opposition on Friday, while Saniora is expected to hold similar contacts with leaders from the ruling bloc in light of a threat by Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
Geagea on Thursday said that his party "should receive a sovereign portfolio if Aoun gets one."
Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar that if the government is not established in the next two days, Lebanon will reach a dead end. “The coming 48 hours will be crucial regarding the establishment of the government,” Berri said, while confirming that the Shia sect will not represent any obstacles to progress. “If the matter of the government is not resolved by the end of today (Friday), we will enter a negative phase,” he said.
Berri also noted the need to form the cabinet because of the rise in the cost of living in Lebanon. The security situation has also been tense recently in more than an region; something that needs to be dealt with urgently before explosion. | 
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