BEIRUT: Optimism over the imminent formation of a new government was dashed on Tuesday by Michel Aoun’s latest refusal of an offer for five seats in the next cabinet, including the Telecommunications and Energy Ministries. Opposition forces are scheduled to hold another round of talks Tuesday night, following Sunday night’s meeting at Aoun’s Rabieh residence to discuss the latest proposal by Premier-designate Saad Hariri, as well as other possible proposals.
On Tuesday, Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Anwar Khalil, a member of Speaker Nabih Berri’s bloc, dashed hopes that were building in Berri’s camp about a possible breakthrough in the coming days. Khalil said he was unaware of any news with regard to the formation of a cabinet by Thursday despite the prevailing optimistic atmosphere.
“I do not know the foundations on which the [political] sources [close to Berri] based their expectations,” he added.
On Monday, sources close to the speaker indicated that they expected the government to be formed by Thursday.
For his part, Aoun’s ally Gibran Bassil, the caretaker telecommunications minister, said Tuesday that an agreement on a new cabinet remained elusive, stressing that the offer put forward by Hariri failed to grant the opposition “its rights or guaranteed national partnership.”
Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun, also from the FPM, told The Daily Star that Hariri submitted a proposal to Aoun granting the Reform and Change bloc the Telecommunications, Energy, Culture and Tourism ministries.
However, Aoun said the proposal was rejected by the FPM leader since it does not grant the Reform and Change bloc its rightful representation.
“We demand that the Reform and Change bloc retain its current share of portfolios; otherwise the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios should be applied to all parties,” he said.
The Reform and Change bloc currently holds the Telecommunications, Energy, Social Affairs and Agriculture portfolio along with a state ministry.
Aoun added that the Culture and Tourism ministries being offered by Hariri were not of equal weight to that of the Social Affairs and Agriculture portfolios; media reports said later Tuesday night that the FPM suggested that it be granted the Economy Ministry in exchange for either the Culture or Tourism portfolios.
Zghorta MP Sleiman Franjieh, an ally of Aoun, delivered Monday night’s proposal to the FPM leader as part of his efforts to mediate contacts between the premier-designate and Aoun.
Franjieh had earlier announced his acceptance of a state ministry as part of the Reform and Change bloc in order to facilitate the formation process.
Mario Aoun added that neither Franjieh nor Berri could pressure the FPM leader to accept the majority’s terms, since the Reform and Change bloc would not relinquish its rightful demand to balanced representation.
The FPM minister stressed that Berri’s sources expressed optimism prematurely, since the Reform and Change bloc was not granted its demands; Bassil met with Berri on Tuesday at the latter’s residence in Ain al-Tineh to discuss the latest developments.
Tackling another complication facing the negotiations between Hariri and the FPM leader, Aoun said that the premier-designate coupled his proposal with a program of work for each ministry, which the FPM considered as an intervention in the affairs of the party’s ministers and thus deserving of rejection.
When asked about any conditions by Hariri rejecting the appointment of Bassil at the head of the Telecommunications Ministry, Mario Aoun said that while the premier-designate “did not impose any conditions in that regard,” he nonetheless “asked” that Bassil be named to head another ministry.
March 14 officials had earlier expressed their rejection of the appointment of Bassil as minister since he was an unsuccessful candidate in the June 7 elections, but later abandoned this demand.
Bassil lost the race for Parliament in his native Batroun to March 14 MPs.
Separately, Nabatieh MP Mohammed Raad, from Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, remained optimistic on Tuesday, stating that the cabinet formation was close to conclusion.
However, Raad warned against the failure to form a cabinet that doesn’t reflect national unity or partnership, which would lead to an open-ended crisis.
Raad reiterated that local obstacles were impeding the cabinet formation and that only a national unity government could achieve stability and safeguard Lebanon against Israeli threats.
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