Govt. Formation Grinds to Halt, Berri May Seek to Resolve Sunni Hurdle

Negotiations to form a new cabinet have ground to a halt as a dispute over the representation of pro-Hizbullah Sunni MPs continues to grow, informed sources said.

“The setback that stopped the formation drive does not seem to be on the verge of any solution in the near future, at least not before the return of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri from his private visit to Paris,” the sources told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published Sunday.

Political sources meanwhile told Kuwait's al-Qabas daily that Speaker Nabih Berri might play a role to find an exit for the Sunni representation crisis.

The new cabinet was on the verge of formation last Monday after the Lebanese Forces accepted the portfolios that were assigned to it but a last-minute hurdle over the representation of pro-Hizbullah Sunni MPs surfaced.

Hizbullah has backed the MPs' demand and refrained from providing Hariri with the names of its own ministers in a bid to press him to accept giving a seat to the aforementioned Sunni grouping.