BEIRUT: Contradictory statements emerged on Tuesday as Future Movement officials voiced optimism with regard to the formation of a cabinet within days while Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) figures stressed that the ongoing negotiations had not reached any breakthrough concerning the distribution of portfolios.  Accordingly, the deadlock on the cabinet front awaits another round of discussions between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun that is expected to take place in the upcoming few days. 

Aoun demands that his party be assigned a sovereign portfolio if he is to relinquish his request for the Telecommunications Ministry while the parliamentary majority stressed on Tuesday that sovereign portfolios were not subject to the principle of rotating ministries among parties. 

The four sovereign portfolios include the Finance Ministry currently handled by the Future Movement, the Defense and Interior ministries, which are part of the president’s share, and the Foreign Ministry allotted to the Amal Movement headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. 

“We have reached an understanding on various issues, most importantly that discussions should not end without any agreement,” Aoun said on Monday during an interview with the Syrian state-run television, a reference to his negotiations with Hariri. 

Aoun denied that the cabinet formation was hampered as a result of his demand to reappoint his son-in-law caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil for a second term, adding that the problem was “much bigger than that.” 

The Telecommunications Ministry has been subject to a lot of debate between the majority and the opposition given its significant role in funding the state’s treasury as well as its pivotal importance with regard to security issues related to monitoring phone calls. 

Future Movement MP Ammar Houri said on Tuesday that Hariri proposed to grant Aoun the Telecommunications Ministry if the latter relinquished his demand to appoint Bassil as its minister. 

The majority had opposed earlier the nomination of candidates who lost the race to Parliament as ministers but later relinquished their condition.

Bassil lost in the polls in Batroun to March 14 MPs. 

On Tuesday, Bassil said that media leaks regarding the distribution of portfolios were no more than speculations and sought to “distract the Lebanese.” 

Meanwhile, Hariri held closed door talks with Berri at the Parliament while he met later with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt. 

Separately, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea questioned Tuesday the optimistic atmosphere surrounding the cabinet-formation as he stressed that true complications delaying the process lie in the opposition’s attempts to take over Lebanese governance. 

“I do not know whether the optimism signals a conclusion [of the process] or just a step forward; thus we have to wait for the upcoming days to figure out,” Geagea said. 

Geagea denied on Tuesday media reports claiming that Hariri would grant the FPM the Interior Ministry in exchange for relinquishing their demand for the telecommunications portfolio which would be assigned to Hizbullah. 

“An accord has been reached on the distribution of sovereign portfolios so as to grant the president, the Interior and Defense ministries and Hizbullah the Foreign Ministry while March 14 decides upon granting the Finance Ministry to one of its groups,” The Lebanese Forces leader said. 

Geagea added that the delay in the cabinet formation is the result of Sleiman and Hariri’s insistence to form a national-unity government, a decision that was exploited by Hizbullah and the opposition to make political gains which benefit their Syrian and Iranian allies. 

“That is why we saw certain complications fade away following the Syrian-Saudi summit,” Geagea added. 

Geagea also underlined that the ministerial statement should not conflict with UN Security Resolution 1701 because it would harm Lebanon’s interests particularly through obstructing the government’s work. 

Tackling the ongoing negotiations between the international community and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program, Geagea said Lebanon would be in “the middle of the storm” given Hizbullah’s ties with Iran. 

Meanwhile, Houri denied on Tuesday media reports claiming that the FPM would be granted a portfolio of the president’s share, adding that sovereign portfolios were not subject to the principle of rotating ministries among parties. 

Houri added that the negotiations between the opposition and the majority were under way to reach an understanding regarding non-sovereign portfolios as he stressed that partial positive agreements awaited final touches in order to announce the cabinet formation. 

“What separate us from announcing a new government is only few days as deliberations are on the right positive track awaiting the final touches,” Houri said. 

Also, Minister of State Jean Ogassapian said on Tuesday that negotiations over the government formation were close to reaching their conclusions as he expressed hope that the cabinet line-up would be announced following Sleiman’s return from Madrid. 

Sleiman is expected to return on Wednesday from a three-day official state visit to spain. 

Ogassapian also ruled out any agreement on the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios. 

Conversely, Change and Reform bloc MP Youssef Khalil said on Tuesday that considerable progress had been made during deliberations between Hariri and Aoun regarding the distribution of portfolios. 

However, Khalil added that the international circumstances have not matured yet to allow the formation of a national-unity cabinet despite the Saudi-Syrian summit’s positive repercussions.