Hizbullah Accuses U.S. of ‘Poisoning’ Cabinet Formation Process
Hizbullah accused the Untied States on Saturday of hindering the formation of the new Lebanese government and using the international tribunal as a tool to change the balance of power in the country.
Deputy head of Hizbullah’s executive council Sheikh Nabil Qaouq said: “The international tribunal has become a political tool in the local political balance of power that the U.S. and its followers in Lebanon are using to confront the current parliamentary majority.”
He said reports that the tribunal would issue the indictment in July mean that the U.S. wants to block the formation of the cabinet which when formed it would defeat the “American veto.”
The government lineup is “closer than ever,” Qaouq said. “Every time the formation of the cabinet makes progress, it reminds us of the U.S. and its conditions in an overt attempt to poison the positive atmosphere.”
Hizbullah MP Nawwaf Moussawi confirmed that significant progress was made in the formation of the new government but warned that U.S. ambassador Maura Connelly was exerting pressure on the process.
“The choice of ministers and the policy statement are not made by U.S. dictations but by Lebanese will,” he stressed.
The new parliamentary majority insists on holding onto a nationalistic cabinet that represents all Lebanese sects, Moussawi said.
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