Report: Govt. Almost Formed before Bassil Torpedoed It
PM-designate Najib Miqati was supposed to visit Baabda at 6pm Monday to meet President Michel Aoun and issue the decrees of the new government, but the formation process returned to square one after Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil torpedoed it, an informed political source said.
“Bassil insisted on the re-distribution of some portfolios to sects and demanded the replacement of others with ones loyal to Aoun,” the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.
The source also revealed that Miqati had visit Speaker Nabih Berri as part of “the preparations for the announcement of the new government’s line-up, which was agreed on with Aoun through Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.”
“Berri called for issuing the line-up in tribute to the late Higher Islamic Shiite Council chief Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, who was buried yesterday,” the source added.
“Miqati practiced the highest levels of patience and did not react to the eleventh-hour setback caused by Bassil’s insistence,” the source went on to say, noting that the PM-designate heeded the desire of French President Emmanuel Macron’s presidential advisor Patrick Durrell.
The source added that Bassil torpedoed the line-up in an attempt to “reshuffle the cards on the hope of securing the blocking one-third for his political camp.”
“He rejected giving the economy portfolios to Sunnis and opposed consensus over the name of Hiyam Mallat for the justice portfolio instead of Judge Henri Khoury,” the source went on to say, adding that Bassil also wanted the deputy PM post to be part of his share and called for giving the Shiite community agriculture instead of tourism.
08 September 2021, 16:05
00
What Bassil is doing is totally against the Constitution. He does not have a right to interfere the way he does. The media needs to expose all this clearly, for everyone to see.
08 September 2021, 18:27
13
The Taliban liberated their country and already formed a government.
08 September 2021, 23:20
01
Taliban's wins, Hamas' wins, Hizbollah's wins, El Nahda's wins, Erdogan's wins and Iranian revolution's wins are what will finally cause people to rise and demand liberty and freedom from Afghanistan to Iran, Palestine and Tunis. This will take some time as the brain drain in each of these countries has to find a footing and organize first. But reality is unmistaken and no more hiding behind fig trees or blaming all on Great Satan. The barbarity, backwardness and evil and oppressive temper of these rulers is becoming evident to all. The highway to hell and beyond!... except in Lebanon where people have become frogs following traitors and useful idiots and willing to be cooked alive rather than jumping of the boiling water...
08 September 2021, 21:35
03
Bassil is the perfect definition of a political prostitute. He is the worst politician who would sell his mother if it benefits him. His only power is being a prostitute to HizIran who actually controls Lebanon via Useful Idiots Aoun and Bassil. The damage Aoun and Bassil have done to Lebanon in general and the Christian community in particular will take generations to fix that if fixing still possible. It is not only our economy, prosperity, dignity, security... but our fundamental raison d'etre of being freedom and democracy that are being suffocated by those two traitors and the Basij. Most Lebanese are convinced that the day Aoun, Bassil and the Basij are hanged will be celebrated as our national liberation day!
08 September 2021, 22:56
00
Oh you troglodytes.when ru going to start thinking like modern humans instead of Neanderthals.
