Geagea Calls for Suleiman, Salam to Form New Govt.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea slammed on Saturday the political powers' failure to form a new government, saying that the delay is “killing Lebanon's democratic and constitutional system.”

He said during the LF Europe Annual Convention: “President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam should form a new cabinet in a manner that meets their aspirations and relieves their consciences.”

“The parliament should then assume its responsibility towards this issue,” he remarked.

“The constitution grants the president and prime minister-designate the authority to exclusively form a government in a manner that they see fit,” he explained.

The cabinet should be formed after consulting political powers, Geagea noted.

“Should the delay continue, then the president and premier-designate themselves would unfortunately be hindering the formation of the cabinet,” he stressed.

“No political camp should enjoy veto power in the cabinet and its ministerial statement should not include the equation of the army, people, and resistance,” he continued.

Salam has said conditions and counter-conditions set by the rival sides have brought his efforts to form a cabinet to a stalemate.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat recently revealed that he dropped his support for a new cabinet in which the March 8 and 14 alliances in addition to centrists would get eight ministers each.

He instead called for giving the two rival camps nine ministers each and six ministers to centrists – Suleiman, Salam and Jumblat.

This formula prevents a certain party from controlling the government by giving veto power to Hizbullah and its team and another veto power to March 14, he said.