Mustaqbal Insists on Ministerial Portfolio Rotation, Says 'All Criminals, Terrorists' Must Be Tried

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc announced no Friday its insistence on a “complete and inclusive” rotation of ministerial portfolios in the new cabinet.

“Forming the new cabinet has become a must and this issue can no longer afford any delay or stalling,” the bloc said in a released statement on Friday evening after the MPs' weekly meeting.

It added: “Therefore we call for forming a new cabinet based on the principals we have set before, and which include rejecting the one third number of ministers that have a veto power, any political equations in the ministerial policy statement that can obstruct the work of the state and harm Lebanon's sovereignty, and we also insist on a complete and inclusive rotation in the portfolios.”

"The ministerial policy statement must also include a commitment to the Baabda Declaration, which was endorsed by all political factions during the national dialogue sessions.”

The government formation process has recently made progress with the majority of factions reaching an initial agreement over an 8-8-8 lineup that grants each of the March 8 and 14 camps and centrists eight ministers with rotating portfolios.

However, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has impeded the agreement after rejecting the rotation of ministerial portfolios as he insisted on retaining the energy and telecommunications ministries.

The al-Mustaqbal MPs expressed that efforts recently exerted to form the long awaited new cabinet help “in distancing Lebanon from the repercussions of the regional crises.”

"It would also help rearranging the political, security and institutional matters inside the country to preserve the economy, stability, and secure people's livelihoods.”

The conferees also praised the arrest of several fugitives accused of planning terrorist attacks and bombings throughout the country.

“But prosecution should not be limited to arresting and trying few criminals only, as all those involved in terrorist acts and assassinations must also be punished,” al-Mustaqbal bloc stressed, remarking that those behind the double bombing of the two mosques in the northern city of Tripoli must also be brought to justice.

"We condemn and deplore any act that threats security and we consider that any involvement is easing and participating in such terrorist crimes must be punished.”

Separately, the lawmakers “strongly condemned the violations and attacks of the Syrian regime's gangs” against eastern and northern Lebanese border towns.

"We particularly deplore the random bombing of towns in (the border city of) Akkar, and targeting its peaceful and resilient people,” they noted.

"The natural and reasonable solution for drawing an end to these attacks, preserving sovereignty and controlling the border is through the deployment of soldiers and demanding the assistance of the UNIFIL troops,” they stated.