Report: Suleiman Will Not End His Term without Forming New Govt.
President Michel Suleiman is determined to form a new government before the end of his term in May 2014, reported As Safir newspaper on Wednesday.
Sources close to the president revealed that he had informed all political powers that he will not end his term before the formation of a new cabinet.
In addition, he said that he “will not end his term with a caretaker government viewed by some as being one-sided.”
To that end, he will devise with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam a plan to make all political powers assume their responsibilities in order to avert vacuum in Lebanon, “especially since the president decided to take the decision not extend his term.”
Meanwhile, Suleiman's sources revealed that Salam had held talks with the president on a certain cabinet lineup.
The president had however requested that he not disclose the lineup before a month.
Sources close to Salam told As Safir that he is studying the names of over 50 candidates, of all sects and political affiliations, who could be chosen in the new government.
No time has been set to announce the lineup, but it will likely be revealed before March.
Since his appointment to form a cabinet in April, Salam has been seeking the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the March 8, March 14 and centrists camps would each get eight ministers.
The conditions and counter-conditions by the rival camps has however thwarted the formation of the cabinet.
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