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| 19/06/2008 The opposition in Lebanon has been showing agreement within its ranks on the formation of the new cabinet, unlike the loyalty bloc that's accused of delaying the birth of the new government for differences on the distribution of portfolios.
On Thursday, Speaker Nabih Berri received a delegation from the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc (of MP General Michel Aoun), including MPs Ibrahim Kanaan, Neematallah Abi Nasr and Ghassan Mokhayber. They discussed the ongoing efforts to form the government in addition to the electoral law as approved in the Doha agreement.
Kanaan told reporters after the meeting that his bloc's position in this topic, mainly the refusal of linking the ratification of the electoral law to the cabinet formation, harmonizes with Berri's stance. "The loyalty bloc is seeking to relate the two issues in order to obstruct the execution of the third clause in the Doha agreement just as they are obstructing the cabinet formation," he said.
Kanaan also pointed out that his bloc did not yet receive any final cabinet distribution proposal, urging Prime Minister-Designate Fouad Saniora to assume his responsibilities in this regard. He warned of any attempt to exceed the red lines by seeking to isolate any political side.
But Saniora is "very patient" and not rushed by any timeline although three weeks have passed on his nomination as PM-designate.
"The majority (loyalty bloc) is known for being patient… and I am even more patient," said Saniora on Wednesday evening after meeting Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman. "It might happen before or after Monday. I do not want to specify any date," Saniora noted, insisting at the same time that "this does not necessarily mean that we are not trying our best to form a new government as soon as possible."
But Saniora's delay in forming the government is having a negative impact on the already tense streets, with gunbattles here and there claiming the lives of more innocent people and assaults adding more tension on the popular level. "We must not lose focus despite the escalation of positions and the illusionary battles."
Bilateral meetings at the Baabda Presidential Palace Wednesday reflected continuous efforts to reach a breakthrough in the crisis.
In this context, Speaker Berri received Saniora for lunch. Lebanese daily As-Safir noted that Berri sought, through the meeting, to break the deadlock surrounding the process of forming the government. According to the daily, he told Saniora that "whoever believes that he could be playing against the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun through the new government was mistaken, mistaken, and mistaken."
The loyalty bloc accuses General Aoun of obstructing the formation of the new government by insisting on taking specific portfolios. However, the opposition, of which Aoun is a key constituent, insists that what is delaying the formation of the cabinet are the differences within the loyalty bloc on the distribution of portfolios, especially among Christian representatives.
Earlier, Berri visited Suleiman and stressed the importance of forming the government as soon as possible, refusing to stall on certain details for not doing so.
LOYALTY SOURCES: WE MAY AGAIN NEED REGIONAL HELP!
Meanwhile, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar quoted loyalty bloc sources as saying that the country was now faced with the same situation that existed before the presidential election. According to the sources, "we may unfortunately need regional and international help again to end the impasse."
Berri refused on Wednesday resorting to such step, stressing that "it was a shame to say that after the election of President Suleiman we need foreign assistance to solve our problems," renewing the national opposition openness on all proposals to reach a solution.
This openness was again confirmed by opposition sources that revealed to As-Safir daily that Berri was ready to abandon the Foreign Affairs portfolio in exchange for giving Aoun a basic portfolio and Hezbollah or Amal the communications portfolio. Berri was reported as proposing to add the Communication and the Justice to the list of basic portfolios so that they become six to be distributed fairly between loyalty, opposition and the president.
MEDIA TRUCE VIOLATED, JUMBLATT ACCUSES AOUN OF SEEKING TO ELIMINATE INSTITUTIONS
In the meantime, the media truce that was approved in the Doha agreement one month ago was violated Wednesday, with the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt, joining Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea in launching verbal assaults on Aoun.
Jumblatt accused Aoun of seeking to eliminate Lebanon's constitutional institutions. "History repeats itself with advocates of elimination schemes and wars," Jumblatt said. He accused Aoun, without mentioning him by name, of seeking to torpedo the Doha Accord "like he had tried to torpedo the Taef accord. He is seeking to eliminate moderation, the presidential office and … all positive chances to form a cabinet," Jumblatt claimed.
Earlier, Geagea claimed Hezbollah, Amal movement and Syria were benefiting from Aoun's "obstructive suggestions."
AOUN RESPONDS: LOGICAL PROPOSALS ARE MET WITH NARROW-MINDED RESPONSES
Aoun responded to the chain of reactions that followed his statements in a press conference on Monday.
"There is no distinction between reform and power. If power is a matter of position, reform is a matter of feasibility and effectiveness, so I intended merely to separate implementation from control, which is taken for granted in the most basic rules of public administration," Aoun said.
Aoun stressed his proposal to reconsider some of the prime minister's of powers was "based on the logic of reform rather than sectarian logic." Unfortunately, he continued, any logical proposal is met with "narrow-minded and angry" responses.
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