Fate of Cabinet Sessions Unknown Despite Optimism

Minister of State Ali Qanso has appeased fears over a protracted government crisis, saying cabinet sessions could resume next week or by the end of February.

In remarks to al-Liwaa daily published Thursday, Qanso said that some mediation efforts have been launched to bring the bickering sides together after Premier Najib Miqati suspended cabinet sessions over what he termed the obstacles put forward by ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

Qanso, who met with Miqati at the Grand Serail on Wednesday, said the prime minister stressed to him that “the doors are not shut and there will definitely be contacts after his return from Paris.”

The minister said that the efforts to resolve the crisis were exerted after Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced on Tuesday that the continuation of the government was essential for Lebanon’s security and stability.

“We are keen on the cabinet to stay in office,” he said in televised speech on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.

Despite Qanso’s remarks, ministerial sources told An Nahar newspaper that there won’t be any effective mediation prior to Miqati’s return from France.

Miqati heads to Paris on Thursday for talks with top French officials.

In remarks to As Safir, the sources said they were not worried about the current crisis, saying it could be resolved starting next Monday following Miqati’s return.

They called for bringing the viewpoints of President Michel Suleiman, Miqati and Aoun closer on the appointments of civil servants reserved for Christians.

The cabinet crisis erupted on Feb. 1 when the ministers loyal to Aoun rejected the names of candidates that Miqati had proposed for the Higher Disciplinary Council that is linked to the premier’s office.

But Aoun has blamed both Miqati and Suleiman for the deadlock, saying they “don’t want us to reach to the higher positions in the state.”