Berri to Give Extra Dose of Support to Salam
Speaker Nabih Berri's aide Caretaker Minister Ali Hassan Khalil is expected to meet with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam on Friday for an extra dose of support to his government formation efforts.
An Nahar daily said that Berri tasked Khalil with contacting Salam for a meeting that is likely to take place on Friday.
The speaker's aide is expected to inform the PM-designate of Berri's continued support for the efforts exerted by Salam to put together a cabinet.
He will also reiterate that the March 8 alliance will not be negotiating with him as a single bloc on its shares in the new government.
Berri has lately repeatedly said that Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun would deal with Salam separately from Hizbullah and the Amal movement.
The PM-designate visited on Friday President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace where he made a statement slamming the “preconditions” set by the rival parties.
The choice of a fait accompli cabinet was back to the forefront after the Baabda meeting, sources close to Salam told An Nahar newspaper published Friday.
This option was put back on the table after the Premier-designate failed to come up with a line-up based on the standards that he had announced, including a 24-member cabinet of non-provocative political figures, they said.
Salam had also called for the rotation of portfolios.
The line-up would be highly appreciated by the public if Salam forms his de facto government, the sources said.
But according to a report in al-Joumhouria newspaper, Suleiman advised him not to form any cabinet that is not all-embracing.
Salam told him that he can't stand idle for seven months if he was incapable of coming up with a government in which all political parties are represented.
Al-Joumhouria said a new stage of consultations between Salam and the major parties would be relaunched on Friday.
His residence in al-Musaitbeh is expected to witness visits by several delegations.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/91091 |