Report: Govt. Formation Returns to Square One after Aoun-Diab Exchange
The debate that has erupted between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Hassan Diab has returned the government formation negotiations to square one, a media report said.
“President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri have called for a techno-political government, a suggestion that has not been opposed by Hizbullah,” Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.
Diab had decried pressures Friday evening but stressed that he will not “bow” or refrain from carrying out his mission, while emphasizing his commitment to the standards he has announced for the formation of a “small technocrat government.”
Caretaker State Minister for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati, who is close to Aoun, hit back, issuing a statement underlining that “the President is not a mailman or a ballot box in the designation and formation process.”
In this regard, sources close to the Presidency told Asharq al-Awsat that “Jreissati’s statement is sufficient and what happened shows that things have returned to square one and that this period requires a reevaluation of the entire process” while emphasizing that “no side is exerting pressures on Diab.”
“The ball is now in the PM-designate’s court, especially amid the consensus of the parties who backed him and granted him their votes on pushing for the formation of a techno-political government, and therefore he cannot reject their demand,” the sources added.
The sources also reminded of Berri’s call for “an inclusive and uniting techno-political government,” adding that Aoun has made a similar call and Hizbullah is not opposed to such a scenario.
“Wisdom entails adding some politicians to the government and distributing the portfolios in a fair manner to reach a format that would be accepted by everyone,” the sources added.
They also criticized Diab for “confining himself to rushed commitments, such as announcing a six-week deadline for forming the government, setting up a cabinet of nonpartisan experts and barring ex-ministers from participation.”
“These issues are not fit for politics, in which developments are always expected to impose drastic changes,” the sources added.
Sources close to Diab meanwhile reiterated his insistence on a “technocrat government composed of nonpartisan members.”
Asked about the suggestion that Diab “should bow to the will of those who designated him,” the sources said: “If there are clear constitutional texts allowing them to withdraw this designation, let them do so.”
The sources added that the parties would have the choice of withholding confidence should the cabinet line-up be referred to parliament as per the constitution.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/268111 |