President Seeking Formation of Neutral Cabinet before May

President Michel Suleiman is seeking to form a neutral cabinet ahead of the end of his term in May 2014, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

Ministerial sources told the daily that Suleiman might adopt this option in coordination with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam if he believed that the rival parties won't extend his presidential term.

The sources said that Suleiman is relying on a Western diplomatic support for him in order to find the appropriate way to extend his term despite the international community's continuous demand that the Presidential elections should be held on time.

In September, Suleiman said that he would challenge the extension of his mandate if the parliament took such a move amid soaring political tensions and the failure to form a new government.

Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate.

The daily quoted sources as saying that Suleiman is seeking to form a government before his term end not to avoid vacuum but to guarantee his election for a new term.

The March 14 coalition had continuously called for the formation of a neutral cabinet while the March 8 alliance urged the formation of a political, national unity cabinet.

Salam has repeatedly blamed the conditions and counter conditions set by the rival March 8 and March 14 camps on his failure to come up with a cabinet line up since his appointment in April.