by Suzan Haidamous, Xinhua writer Ren Ke
BEIRUT, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Local and regional obstacles have been hindering the formation of a new Lebanese cabinet, while designated Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been trying in vain for over two weeks to form a national unity government which includes both the ruling majority and the opposition.
Despite the political calm and the encouragement by foreign officials who visited Lebanon in the last two weeks, consultations carried out by designated Hariri with the opposition appear to be stalled, awaiting ongoing Saudi Arabian-Syrian rapprochement, professor at the Lebanese University and political analyst Hassana Rashid told Xinhua.
"Unless an acceptable formula by both the ruling coalition and the opposition is reached, Saad Hariri can not form a cabinet which could govern," Rashid added.
ĦĦĦĦINTERNAL OBSTACLES
The opposition which includes the Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah, House Speaker Nabih Berri's Shiite Amal Movement, Christian Leader Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (MPS) and North Lebanon Christian leader Suleiman Franjieh's Al-Marada party, along with other smaller parties, are demanding either veto power or proportional representation to join the new cabinet.
However, the veto power in any Lebanese cabinet means having one third of the ministers plus one, the Lebanese constitution which is not clear on cabinet veto power, stressing that major national decisions should be adopted with the approval of two thirds of the cabinet, a privilege which the ruling coalition is not ready to give up in the next government.
Meanwhile, Christian opposition leader MP Michel Aoun, who has the majority of Christian MPS in the Parliament is demanding the "proportional representation" in cabinet which gives him the majority of Christian ministers, and gives the opposition even more than the third plus one ministers since the recent parliamentary elections on June 7, which gave the ruling majority 71 seats and the opposition 57.
Hezbollah official Nawaf Musawi said on Friday that his party's Chief Hasan Nasrallah demanded during talks with Hariri on June 26that the opposition be granted veto power in the new cabinet.
The majority, however, refused to grant veto power to the opposition.
Druze MP Marwan Hamadi told LBC TV Sunday that "giving veto power to the opposition means that the majority lost the parliamentary elections. "
Hariri, meanwhile, said Saturday that "only unity among Lebanese factions" would allow him to govern, without announcing publicly his refusal to granting the opposition veto power.
REGIONAL OBSTACLES
Saudi Arabia and Syria are reported to be preparing for a summit between King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad following talks on regional issues related to Middle East peace initiative, and to the Lebanese cabinet formation, local daily As-Safier reported.
"The Saudi-Syrian summit and the formation of a national unity government in Lebanon are intertwined," the daily said, adding that a condition has been set for Lebanon to agree on a new government before such a meeting takes place.
However, Al-Akhbar daily said last week that Hariri was advised by Saudi Arabia to visit Syria for facilitating the cabinet formation since the opposition in Lebanon is backed by Syria, while the ruling majority is backed by Saudi Arabia.
Hariri did not deny or confirm such reports, but announced Saturday that he is ready to meet with Assad because "it is for the interest of Lebanon to have good relations with Syria."
News of Hariri's possible visit to Syria triggered rejections by several majority leaders, mainly the Christian chief of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party Samir Geagea who considered such a visit "a waste of all our sacrifices."
The ruling majority and its leader Hariri have been struggling for the past four years against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. The assassination of Saad's father, Prime Minster Rafiq Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005 led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops after 29 years of presence in its neighboring country.
Meanwhile, local daily Al-Liwaa Saturday quoted diplomatic sources as saying that next week will witness increased Arab contacts amid a link between the Saudi-Syrian summit and the formation of the Lebanese cabinet.
AN ARAB INITIATIVE NEEDED
The sharp divisions between the ruling majority and the opposition delayed the birth of the former national unity government headed by Prime Minister Fouad Seniora over 52 days following the election of President Michel Suleiman in May 2008.
However, the Arab-sponsored Doha Accord which signed later by rival leaders guaranteed the election of Suleiman after six months of presidential vacancy, and granted the Lebanese opposition veto power in the Seniora's cabinet.
This time around, as the opposition is determined to get veto power in the cabinet and the ruling majority is refusing to grant, only another Arab initiative could bring the birth of a new government. Otherwise, a cabinet boycotted by the opposition means a return to the three-year-plus political deadlock before the recent parliamentary elections on June 7.
