Miqati Says he Won’t Give up the Task of Forming the Cabinet

Premier-designate Najib Miqati stressed Tuesday that he wasn’t holding onto power but at the same time would not give up the task of forming the government.

“I will not give up the (cabinet) formation task not because I am holding onto power but out of conviction that I should carry on with my mission to preserve the stability and unity of Lebanon and the role of constitutional institutions,” Miqati said in a chat with reporters.

Although the constitution doesn’t set a timeframe for the formation of the cabinet, the prime minister-designate said: “The people’s problems should not be ignored and the government should be formed quickly to find the appropriate solutions.”

Miqati told reporters that he was seeking to form a cabinet made up of a “homogeneous team” but at the same time he would take into consideration the expectations of MPs who named him to establish a government of a political nature.

Asked if he believed that consultations with the March 14 alliance had come to an end, the premier-designate said: “As long as the cabinet formation decrees haven’t been issued, the negotiation door is still open.”

“Not a single government in Lebanon can be one-sided … because the Lebanese system is characterized by diversity,” he added.