Salam 'Cautiously Optimistic' after Hariri's Upbeat Note on Cabinet
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Officials close to Premier-designate Tammam Salam expressed a cautious optimism on the government formation process and said ex-Premier Saad Hariri proved his good intentions when he announced he was ready to share power with Hizbullah.
Salam is “cautiously optimistic” over the latest developments after nine months of stalemate on the cabinet formation, the officials told al-Mustaqbal daily published on Sunday.
There was some progress in the past two days, mainly after Hariri announced on Friday that he did not want to keep anyone outside the cabinet, the officials said.
But Hariri, who spoke after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon trial in his father's assassination started, denied making concessions over sharing power with Hizbullah in the government.
The officials, who were not identified, told al-Mustaqbal that Hariri's upbeat note left a huge impact on the Lebanese.
“Some people were expecting the start of the trial in The Hague to have a negative impact on the cabinet but ex-PM Hariri avoided the spirit of vengeance to prove once again his good intentions that go along with the logic of state building,” they said.
“The new stance gave a push to the consultations on the cabinet,” they said.
The officials told the daily that Salam was holding onto his position to discuss the policy statement after the formation of the government.
The policy statement is a source of contention between the March 8 and 14 camps.
March 14 has been insisting on making the Baabda Declaration as the basis of the statement.
19 January 2014, 09:25
114
Mr. Hariri is becoming rational, I urge all the rest of the M14 supporters and leaders to do likewise.
19 January 2014, 10:39
67
for once i agree with mystic. Let us pick up the pieces of the broken trust
and do the best we can with what we have.
Hariri showed statemanship. Now it is the turn of HA to realize that its logic of weapons and constant involvment in other people's conflicts is not the choice of most lebanese and the word "resistance" should not figure in the ministerial statement.
I personally would like to see "people-army-institutions" as a ministerial statement. Not the baabda declaration. Why tailor our ministerial statement to a conflict in a foreign country?
19 January 2014, 11:25
34
Thanks ur opinion is appreciated, but it would just meen that hariri will do a gov with hezbollah while hezbollah still in syria, while hezbollah don't wanna discuss his arms, while hezbollah still holding on STL suspects and covering them, and still having blockade third (berry was helping the president in his choice of wazirr el malak..) With parlement that can be closed by berry anytime and we are getting to the end of presidential mandate...
So in fact u (as mr harir st it appears, but still hope he wont) handing them the all country....
19 January 2014, 11:32
34
Handing all the country to hesbiz (berry can close the parlement anytime and he show it to us, march 14 can only no go to parlement wich is regrateable but still their right) they will have the blockade third (berry helping the president in the choice of wazir el malak..) and the president term is near over; so they will control all the institution meanlwhile fight in syria and...
I hope he wont accept, if he does the hell with him i'll give my voice to any other politician hold to the baabda declaration, the right to have only 1arm forced (not islamic resistance, resistance brigade) and i'm still atached on the point that hezbos should take of the cover on the STL suspect..
So hariri must think carefully.... Anw the way for a free democratic independant lebanon is long we will see...
19 January 2014, 14:39
23
Mr. Hariri went to Damascus when he was prime minister while he knew very well that Assad was involved in the death of his father. He showed good intentions and reached out to all.
He was more than rational and showed moderation then any of nasrallah and aoun
19 January 2014, 16:54
13
Fool me once. shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.
I would say shame on Harriri here, but I think he is doing what he always does, he is bandaging his wounds for the sake of preserving stability that Nasrallah keeps on threatening. So he is not a fool but a concerned leader faced with criminal opponent.
20 January 2014, 01:54
10
I am simply congratulating mr. Hariri for his stance and not being ignorant as he used to be. He knows the only way to form a government is to include Hezbollah, so yes i respect his choice.
19 January 2014, 10:56
65
Ok only if you promise to stop assasinating political opponents. I want your promise that you wont blow up any politicians and innocent bystanders. Ok? Shake on it
19 January 2014, 11:32
55
Mystic: "not even one? We've had our eye on Okab Sakr for quite a while.. :("
19 January 2014, 15:01
45
If Lebanon can man up, they should form a cabinet without Hezbollah. That would be the strongest signal that the country is taking care of itself, instead of being manipulated. There is nothing good coming out of Hezbollah. They have led us to disaster after disaster. They are fighting in the wrong wars (in Syria), an imaginary wars (with Israel), and terrorizing and blackmailing Lebanon internally. Really. Wake up people. Lebanon is NOT defined by Hezbollah. Never have, and never will.
In the 70's, the Palestinians were a state within a state. In the 90's, it was the Syrians. Now, it's Hezbollah. When will Lebanon have a strong, central government that has no border enemies. For those that can read history, Lebanon had an armistice agreement with Israel since 1948, and it was all peaceful until the Palestinians and later Hezbollah started to make trouble at the border.
19 January 2014, 21:19
12
It is time they make the tough decisions, if Hizbullah wants to be part of the government then they need to disarm and no longer fallow orders from Assad or the Ayatollah. If not what is the use of caring out the same charade.
