Berri Defends Hizbullah as 'Being Charitable to Others' and not Other Way Around
Speaker Nabih Berri slammed on Thursday claims that the March 14 alliance was being charitable to Hizbullah by approving to remove its veto on the party's participation in the new cabinet.
In remarks to several local newspapers, Berri said: “No one gives charity to Hizbullah. On the contrary Hizbullah is being charitable to others.”
Berri, whose Amal movement is closely allied with Hizbullah, reiterated that the new cabinet would not exclude any party.
“There would not be a government without Hizbullah, without al-Mustaqbal movement or Mr. Walid Jumblat or any other party,” he said.
His remarks came against the backdrop of reports that March 14 and mainly al-Mustaqbal movement had agreed to drop their rejection on Hizbullah's participation in return for the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the county's three main political camps – March 8, March 14 and centrists - would get eight ministers each.
March 14 had urged Premier-designate Tammam Salam not to give Hizbullah seats in the government over its participation in the fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's troops in Syria.
But later reports emerged that the alliance dropped its veto.
Asked about the progress in the cabinet formation process, Berri reiterated that no further steps have been made.
He reiterated that his call for a national dialogue to discuss the shape and policy statement of the government did not include negotiations on the line-up, which is up to President Michel Suleiman and Salam to decide.
Berri has called for the resumption of the all-party talks under Suleiman at Baabda palace for a period of at least five consecutive days to discuss the form and policy statement of the cabinet.
His so-called roadmap also includes the revival of talks on a new electoral law and supporting the military to deal with arms proliferated in the North and East.
Furthermore, the initiative calls for addressing a national defense strategy.
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