Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed “adherence” on Saturday to the French initiative towards Lebanon, shortly after the resignation of PM-designate Mustafa Adib amid a Cabinet impasse.
Berri, head of the Shiite Amal Movement, said that no one like them adheres to the French initiative, accusing others of “foiling” it.

Amid a cabinet stalemate preventing PM-designate Mustafa Adib from forming a crisis government, Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Lebanese politicians have again presented an example of failure in managing the country.
“Once again, Lebanese politicians present to the world a blatant example of failure in managing public affairs and approaching national interest,” said Hariri in a statement after Adib’s resignation from Baabda Palace.

The Progressive Socialist Party described on Saturday the obstructed efforts of PM-designate Mustafa Adib to form a crisis government and his eventual resignation, as a “sin” against the Lebanese people.

Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib resigned on Saturday amid a Cabinet formation deadlock, nearly a month after he was appointed to the job.

The problematic formation of a Lebanese government enters a “pivotal” stage with attention focused today on one more meeting between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Mustafa Adib, after their afternoon talks a day earlier in Baabda, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.
“The cabinet formation file entered a decisive phase,” well-informed sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib held talks Friday night with Hussein al-Khalil and Ali Hassan Khalil -- the political aides of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri.
TV networks said the meeting did not achieve any progress regarding the hurdles related to Shiite representation in the new government.

The army on Friday arrested a fugitive member of the extremist cell that killed four troops and three civilians in two incidents in the North.

Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib met Friday afternoon with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace.
"I put the President in the picture of the consultations and we agreed to hold another meeting tomorrow at 11:00 am," Adib announced after the 40-minute meeting.

Thursday’s meeting between PM-designate Mustafa Adib and the representatives of Hizbullah and Amal lasted half an hour and the talks tackled ex-PM Saad Hariri’s initiative and its “positive” impact, MP Qassem Hashem said on Friday.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday lamented that “day after day, it becomes more evident that with this ruling parliamentary majority there can be no hope in anything.”
