Hariri Hands Aoun Govt. Lineup Draft, Slams Soleimani's Remarks

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced Monday that he submitted to President Michel Aoun a preliminary draft about the parties' shares in the new government.

“Everyone wants the government to be formed as soon as possible and I submitted to President Aoun a preliminary draft about how the shares should be distributed,” Hariri said after meeting Aoun at the Baabda Palace.

“We're against keeping major political parties outside the government,” Hariri added.

Calling for “sacrifices and concessions” from all parties, the PM-designate said the government should bring together the biggest number of political forces in light of “the difficult regional situation.”

Asked about remarks attributed to General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, Hariri described his statement as “regrettable.”

“We would have liked to have a state-to-state relation (with Iran) and if some have lost in Iraq, it does not mean that they should seek to compensate for their loss somewhere else,” the PM-designate added.