Salam Surprised by Hizbullah Boycott, Appointments on Right Track

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has expressed surprise at Hizbullah's boycott of Thursday's cabinet session, saying the party had welcomed his call for the government to convene.

Salam's visitors quoted him as saying that “the absence of Hizbullah's ministers surprised” him because “the party's representatives were the first to welcome” his call for a session and encouraged him to take every step aimed at activating the cabinet's work.

Hizbullah's ministers boycotted Thursday's session in solidarity with a decision taken by the Free Patriotic Movement ministers not to attend the meeting over their call for the appointment of top officers in the military council.

Despite their boycott and the absence of the Marada Movement minister, the cabinet convened and approved several non-controversial decrees.

Three military council posts, reserved for a Shiite, a Greek Orthodox and a Catholic, have been vacant for the past two years.

The FPM is demanding the appointment of officers to fill the posts. Its conditions have paralyzed the government, which has so far only met three times since September last year.

Speaker Nabih Berri told his visitors that he has held phone conversations with Salam, Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji and other officials to call for the discussion of the appointments during the next cabinet session.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper said on Friday that the efforts exerted by the officials to resolve the appointments crisis have made progress.

Discussions will now focus on the names proposed by the founder of the FPM, MP Michel Aoun, it said.

G.K.

D.A.