Gap Widens between Berri, Saniora over Baabda-Hizbullah Cabinet Dispute
The dialogue between Speaker Nabih Berri and al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora has been affected by the differences between the Baabda presidential palace and Hizbullah, sources said.
Consultations between Berri and Saniora began to be influenced by the “hot wind” affecting the Baabda-Hizbullah ties, sources told al-Liwaa newspaper published on Saturday.
They said the speaker, who is also the head of the Amal movement that is allied with Hizbullah, and Saniora are not scheduled to hold a new meeting anytime soon.
The sources denied however that the recent accusations made by al-Mustaqbal MPs against Berri were the result of the cold relations between the two officials.
Al-Mustaqbal lawmaker Ahmed Fatfat slammed Berri on Friday after the speaker said in remarks to al-Joumhouria daily that under the current circumstances, the only choice left is the formation of a 9-9-6 formula cabinet or a return to the dialogue table.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance, which Amal movement is part of, considers that participation involves only numbers and not sharing in responsibility, Fatfat said.
Another al-Mustaqbal MP, Ammar Houri, told al-Liwaa on Saturday that despite claims of frozen ties between Berri and Saniora, “dialogue between them is open.”
“It involves other issues and wasn't affected by the dispute on the formation of the cabinet and the 9-9-6 formula,” he said.
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