Berri Says Cabinet 'Best' Lineup amid Developments, Contacts Hariri over Hizbullah in Syria
Speaker Nabih Berri lauded on Monday Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, describing it as “the best we can achieve amid the critical situation the country is passing through."
“The cabinet isn't technical nor neutral... It is a political government based on delicate balances,” Barri said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.
He expected that Salam's cabinet will not include severe disputes between ministers.
On Saturday, PM Salam unveiled a compromise government, capping nearly 11 months of political wrangling.
According to the newspaper, Berri contacted al-Mustaqbal Movement Chief Saad Hariri after his speech at a mass rally commemorating the ninth anniversary of former premier Rafik Hariri's assassination at the BIEL exhibition center in Beirut.
“You said that you are seeking to address with me a demand to convince Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from (neighboring country) Syria,” Berri said.
“Ask me for anything but that... Am serious,” the Speaker added.
Although officially neutral in Syria's conflict, Lebanon is deeply divided over the Sunni-led rebellion against President Bashar Assad, whose troops are backed by fighters from Hizbullah.
Hizbulah's intervention in Syria has drawn accusations from some in Lebanon that the group is entangling the country in the war next door.
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