Yazbek Urges Unity Govt. that 'Doesn't Exclude Anyone'

Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek called Wednesday for the formation of a national unity government that “does not exclude anyone,” while stressing that “the entire world cannot break the ties that gather Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement.”

“We support the formation of a national unity government that does not exclude anyone and does not endorse a spiteful approach,” said Yazbek, who is the head of Hizbullah's so-called Juristic Committee.

“This way entire Lebanon would triumph rather than one group over another, and we on our part will do everything we can to relieve our community and people,” he added.

Turning to the Hizbullah-AMAL alliance and the issue of participation in the new government, Yazbek emphasized that “the entire world cannot break the ties that gather Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement.”

“Therefore we will work as one hand to facilitate things in order to form a national unity government, because this country must overcome the crises that it is going through, especially at the security, economic and social levels,” the Hizbullah official added.

AMAL leader and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his bloc have not voted for Michel Aoun in Monday's presidential election session that made him Lebanon's 13 president and the speaker has voiced dismay over the horsetrading that preceded ex-PM Saad Hariri's endorsement of Aoun's nomination, hinting that he might “join the ranks of the opposition.”

Hariri received 86 votes in the binding parliamentary consultations to name a new premier on Wednesday and a second round of consultations is scheduled for Thursday.

Hariri played a key role in Aoun's election as president after he formally endorsed him in mid-October and the ex-PM is poised to be re-designated as premier.

Aoun, an ex-army chief and the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, also received crucial support for his presidential nomination from Hizbullah and the Lebanese Forces.

Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In addition to pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their country.

Aoun also pledged to endorse an "independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from "the fires burning across the region."