Salam Says Policy Statement to Be 'Short:' We'll Focus on Priorities Awaiting the Presidential Elections
Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced on Wednesday that the ministerial policy statement will be “short,” noting that his cabinet will only take office for three months until the presidential elections are held.
“All points in the policy statement are to be discussed and there is no draft that has been agreed on by all factions, but we have the intention to have a heterogeneous statement,” Salam announced on Future TV, in his first televised interview since the cabinet's formation.
He added: “The cabinet will rule for three months and therefore, we will not prepare a 30-page policy statement. We have to work while taking into consideration that the presidential elections will take place on time.”
He also stated that the slogan of his council of ministers will be "let the people live."
The premier stressed that communication between all political factions in the country is necessary to reach an accord on the policy statement.
He also revealed that the atmosphere was positive earlier in the day during the ministerial committee's meeting over the policy statement.
The ministerial committee tasked with devising a government policy statement met on Wednesday afternoon at the Grand Serail amid reports that Salam will present it with a draft statement.
Reports said the statement was discussed “with positive attitudes” and that issues of contention, such as the army-people-resistance equation, were postponed for coming session.
On the 10-month long process that lead to the cabinet’s formation, Salam considered that many concessions were made to give way to the government's birth.
“All political factions realized that they have to offer concessions at one point. Concessions were first about the rotation of ministerial portfolios, and then they were manifested in Hizbullah and March 8's acceptance of the 8-8-8 lineup.”
He then remarked that ex-PM Saad Hariri was the one to take “positive steps and who eased the cabinet's formation.”
“Trust became mutual and it eventually lead to the cabinet's formation,” Salam said.
“What we achieved was 'made in Lebanon' without any diplomatic interference or international conferences and this issue wasn't highlighted in the media.”
He also praised president Michel Suleiman who “suffered with him and supported him” throughout the process.
“There is total harmony between us and this is because we are not linked to any political faction,” he explained.
Salam finally announced on Saturday the formation of a 24-minister cabinet, ten months and a week after his appointment.
The ministers have been distributed equally between the rival March 8 and 14 camps and centrists.
Commenting on Wednesday morning's double blast in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan, Salam urged both the March 8 and the March 14 camps to unite to “face this situation.”
“We rely on security institutions that are doing their job. But even if these resisted to the situation, one political statement can blow up everything and therefore we urge all forces to adopt a positive rhetoric that strengthens the state's institutions.”
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