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Lebanon cabinet : Too many wish lists

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  • Lebanon cabinet : Too many wish lists

    YaLibnan, Lebanon
    May 31 2008


    Lebanon cabinet : Too many wish lists


    Published: Saturday, 31 May, 2008 @ 7:25 AM in Beirut (GMT+2) By: Ali
    Hussein

    Beirut- Lebanon's Prime Minister designate Fouad Siniora will be
    facing many challenges in forming the new cabinet as the first day of
    consultations has revealed.


    Siniora ( pictured ) started Friday at 1:30 pm the consultations with
    the Parliamentary bloc leaders to form a cabinet of national unity but
    he soon found out that the demands by the opposition are politically
    motivated and far from being unity oriented

    Hezbollah parliamentary bloc leader Mohammed Raad demanded 1 Sunni and
    1 Druze seat for his marginal Sunni and Druze allies . According to
    political observers Hezbollah's demand is politically motivated and
    appears to be aimed at penetrating majority ranks.


    According to observers the distribution of Shiite seats are most
    likely as follows: Ali Hasan Khalil, Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh and Jihad
    Murtada representing the Amal Movement headed by Speaker Berri

    Mohammed Fneish and Hussein Hajj Hassan representing Hezbollah. The
    third is yet to be decided , perhaps it may be for a Druze or Sunni

    It is not clear whom Amal will be willing to give up for a Druze or
    Sunni

    Hezbollah's ally Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun, who
    also heads the Change and Reform Bloc asked Siniora to be represented
    in the cabinet by five Christian ministers. According to observers the
    distribution is most likely as follows:

    2 Maronite ministers: Gibran Bassil and Nabil Nicola 1 Orthodox
    minister: General Issam Abu Jamra 1 Catholic minister: Elias Skaff 1
    Armenian minister: Hagop Pakradounian

    According to As Safir and based on March 14 sources, the distribution
    of the majority cabinet seats are most likely as follows:


    6 Sunni ministers: Fouad Saniora, Mohammed Safadi, Mohammed Qabbani
    and Samir al-Jisr in addition to two of these three names -- Jamal
    al-Jarrah, Hassan al-Sabaa or Ahmed Fatfat. 3 Maronite ministers:
    Jihad Azour, Butros Harb and Joe Sarkis. 3 Druze ministers: Ghazi
    Aridi, Akram Shehayyeb and Wael Abu Faour. 2 Greek Orthodox
    ministers: Farid Makari and Atef Majdalani or Tareq Mitri. 1 Catholic
    minister: Michel Mkattaf. 1 Armenian minister: Jean Oghassabian. It
    is not clear which Sunni and Druze seats the majority will be willing
    to give up if Hezbollah insists on one Druze and 1 Sunni

    The grand total of above is 30 seats which is the size of the
    projected unity government

    MP Michel Murr, who represents a bloc representing the Metn
    constituency, told Siniora that he wants his son, Elias Murr to be the
    bloc's representative for a cabinet seat and asked for either the
    ministry of defense or the foreign affairs as suitable seats. Murr is
    currently in the care taking government as a defense minister,
    representing former president Emile Lahoud . It is not clear yet if
    Murr will be allocated one of president Suleiman's seats , since
    Michel Murr has quit Aoun's Change and Reform Bloc and declared
    himself independent .

    MP Mohammed Safadi, representing the Tripoli Gathering, asked for the
    same ministry he is currently occupying in the temporary government :
    Public works


    The biggest problem facing Siniora is the distribution of the so
    called sovereign ministries . These are the Defense, Finance, Foreign
    affairs, Interior and Justice. According to political observers, most
    probably the Interior will go to the president since he is considered
    the neutral party and all eyes are on the 2009 elections , which will
    be supervised by this ministry. The other 4 may be evenly split by the
    majority and opposition .

    The other problems facing Siniora is the distribution of the
    ministries of Labor, telecommunications, public works , education and
    social affairs. The majority according to analysts is unwilling to
    give up the ministries of education, labor and telecommunications
    ministries, while the opposition is insisting on the ministry of labor
    and public works. These 2 ministries are labor ( employment) oriented
    and could help influence the 2009 election results

    A lot of horse trading is awaiting Siniora today and possibly the
    coming days and weeks.

    The majority wants Michel Suleiman's presidential oath to be the basis
    for the forthcoming cabinet's policy statement

    The wish lists are so entangled that many think Siniora will not be
    able to form a cabinet
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