Optimism Surrounds Government Formation: Maneuver to Oust Miqati?
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati’s meeting on Saturday with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s advisor, Huessin Khalil, was limited to generalities over the rules that need to be adopted in the formation of the new government, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday.
It added that Miqati has not yet received from Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun their ministerial candidates.
For its part, Miqati's press office said later Sunday that "the PM-designate has not received until now the names of any candidates from some blocs and any claims otherwise are aimed at concealing the truth."
“PM-designate Miqati insists on avoiding any debate with anyone, as his priority is to form the cabinet, and all sides should translate the positive intentions into action,” it added.
The latest breakthrough in the Cabinet formation lies in Aoun’s acceptance to acquire ten ministers, including eight portfolios and two positions for the state minister position.
Aoun had previously rejected such a suggestion.
However, the MP is still insisting on having a say in naming the sixth Maronite minister and on maintaining the Energy and Telecommunications Ministries, with Charbel Nahhas continuing in his position as Telecom Minister.
Reports had previously said that Aoun and Miqati had reached an agreement that the former would maintain the Telecommunications Ministry on condition that Nahhas would be replaced.
Miqati’s circles have meanwhile stressed the need for optimism, but they insisted that this should be met with practical practices on the ground through allowing the premier-designate the freedom to choose a suitable minister among a list of candidates presented to him by various blocs.
They have voiced concerns however of FPM MPs’ possible persistence to their claim that the political blocs have the right to assign ministers to portfolios of their choosing, in what Miqati’s circles said is a new attempt to undermine the PM-designate’s privileges.
New majority sources have voiced fears to the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Sunday that Hussein Khalil and Speaker Nabih Berri’s advisor, MP Ali Hasan Khalil’s latest maneuvers are aimed at portraying Miqati as the main obstacle in forming a government, should he go back on his agreement with Aoun.
If they go ahead with this mission, then they would likely search for his replacement, who could be a Sunni figure that does not have foreign commitments.
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