Salam Hasn't Given up Hope on Cabinet Formation

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam said Saturday that he hasn't yet reached the stage of giving up the formation of the new government, adding there was still a possibility to put together a cabinet.

In remarks to As Safir daily, Salam said: “The Lebanese want the formation of the government and do not care about conditions and counter-conditions.”

He said he hasn't yet lost hope and was not on the verge of giving up his task.

Salam told As Safir that he should give the cabinet formation all the chance that it's got.

The Premier-designate held onto a government that enjoys minimum harmony among its members. He rejected infighting and taking political disputes into the cabinet.

Salam reiterated that Speaker Nabih Berri hasn't yet taken a move forward since announcing that Hizbullah and Amal movement would negotiate with him on the shares of the March 8 alliance separate from Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

Salam is waiting for Berri to provide him with the five names of Hizbullah's and Amal's candidates.

But the FPM reportedly also wants five ministers in the new cabinet, which would raise the number of March 8 representatives to 10.

Such demands and conditions would lead to a “vicious cycle” because Salam wants to form a 24-member cabinet in which March 8, March 14 and the centrists would each get 8 ministers.

“The pace of political and security developments in the country and the region require the formation of a government that confronts the challenges of the upcoming stage along with its dangers,” Salam said.

“The region's volcano is on fire,” he warned, saying the procrastination in the new line-up would have severe security, economic and financial repercussions on Lebanon.

His remarks echoed a call made on Friday by President Michel Suleiman for rival parties to make “sacrifices” to facilitate the cabinet formation process.