Jumblat Discusses with Salam Cabinet Formation Efforts Amid Renewed Hizbullah Condition

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Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat discussed with Premier-designate Tammam Salam the latest cabinet formation efforts and an alleged Saudi go ahead to an all-embracing government despite a rejection by Hizbullah of a 24-member line-up in which the three major factions would get 8 ministers each.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper said that Jumblat visited Salam on Tuesday night to brief him on the results of the discussions that caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour held with Saudi officials in Riyadh.

Abou Faour regularly visits the Saudi capital as a PSP envoy. Jumblat, who is a centrist, has promised to facilitate the formation of the cabinet.

According to the daily, the PSP chief hailed the results of Abou Faour's discussions with Prince Abdul Aziz after Riyadh paved way for the formation of an all-embracing cabinet as called for by President Michel Suleiman.

The March 14 alliance had initially rejected Hizbullah's participation in the government over its fighting in Syria.

The Saudi green light gave some hope that the line-up would be ready soon.

But Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Wednesday that “things were back to square one,” adding that the conditions of the March 14 coalition had not changed.

Qassem reiterated Hizbullah's demand for a government in which all political parties are represented in accordance to their weight in parliament.

An Nahar said that Hizbullah proposed a new formula of giving the March 8 and 14 alliances nine ministers each and the centrists – Suleiman, Salam and Jumblat – six ministers.

“No government can succeed unless all the parties are justly represented in it,” said Qassem.

Comments 11
Missing samiam 05 September 2013, 09:46

hizb iran don't want a government--they have demonstrated that time and again ever since they signed the mou with fpm. since 2005, there has never been a government that wasn't forced to resign because of hizb iran and its proxies.

Default-user-icon GB (Guest) 05 September 2013, 09:49

What a shame that we need to go to Saudi Arabia, the symbol of dictatorship and tyranny regime, to be able to form a government!!!

Thumb Senescence 06 September 2013, 00:25

No no you most certainly kid. Poor boy, do you not know it's the pinnacle-of-democracy KSA we're dealing with? Not the dictatorial totalitarian corrupt monarchy KSA. There's a difference apparently, and they know best for what our country needs; ask any M14 politician and they'll either attest to the KSA's brilliance in terms of political innovation much required by Lebanon, or they'll simply they 'have no choice' as was their excuse for when Syria was running the country.

Wake up people, we're barely saved from one evil yet you so readily welcome yet another. I'm slowly beginning to believe Lebanon is no different than any Arab country; they need dictators, people to put them in their place, keep them in line, command them, rule them, think for them and so on.

Thumb EagleDawn 05 September 2013, 10:03

The double standards of these thugs is amazing! I did not hear Qassem or his likes insist on having each party be represented in government according to its weight in parliament when they were forming the Miqati government.

Thumb EagleDawn 05 September 2013, 10:19

.... and for the same guy with 20 fake accounts who lurks in the background voting people down, come out and play. You are known to everybody. No Need to Hide:)

Missing samiam 05 September 2013, 11:49

nothing in the constitution that says that,

you could go look for it if you weren't 12.....

Missing lebanese_uae 05 September 2013, 12:18

who is bombing us ??
this is your allies who are bombing us !!
brainwashed enough to keep on repeating the same things
you still have the face to talk and support the syrian Regime !!!!

Thumb lebanon_first 05 September 2013, 16:26

Good idea. Let them participate in the as sadist government, let them fight Israel from Homs, let them steal Syrian custom duties and electricity.

Thumb Bandoul 05 September 2013, 19:58

hmm...I have a novel idea: how about the new government has the label "Made in Lebanon" for once instead of "Made in KSA, IRAN, USA, West"?

Thumb Senescence 06 September 2013, 00:40

I'd say Lebanon's simply not ready. The transition needed to shift the frame of mind of all those alive today, who from the moment of birth have been controlled and ruled by feudal warlords, is not anywhere near as far as I can tell I'm afraid. Perhaps this transition is not -too- far away, maybe a decade or so, hopefully when Lebanon's not beyond repair. While political awareness is live and fertile in the youths, it is regardless not widespread enough nor strong enough in the general populace who still cling to their religious leaders and regional warlords.

What's worse is that enlightenment for politicians is even further away. They're all so parochial, supercilious, venal, senile, avaricious, covert and equally steep in their ways, propitious to those with wealth and money and not the wellbeing of the people--the people are but a liability and a nuisance in their egocentric world--,the metonymy of corruption; Lebanese politicians.

Thumb Senescence 06 September 2013, 00:41

I'm not a real advocate of much, but a purging of sorts and of some is needed. A renaissance. Our society should be drenched in the throes of death and destruction to realize the need for change. Hopefully I'm wrong in that regard, but the way things are going, I'm sure this speculation is not far off from the actual reality.