Miqati Promises to Form All-Party Government: Hariri's Demands Not Tough
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Friday wrapped up two days of consultations with the various parliamentary blocs as part of efforts to form a new Lebanon government.
Miqati said there are two opposing views – one that is requesting commitments and one is seeking the opposite.
“Our role here is to reconcile the two views,” Miqati told reporters at the end of consultations in Parliament.
He said there is “more common ground than points of disagreement,” stressing that these differences could be solved through dialogue.
In response to a question on demands placed by outgoing PM Saad Hariri’s Al-Mustaqbal Movement, Miqati said the demands are not tough.
Hariri’s demands are “not impossible to meet,” he believed, stressing that he is seeking to form a government that includes the various political parties.
Local media on Friday said Miqati is likely to form a government of technocrats or a “single color” Cabinet as chances that March 14 forces will join the new government looked slim after the coalition voiced suspicions over the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance’s intentions vis-à-vis the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
Miqati has stressed that options were still open as to whether the government would be made up exclusively of technocrats, or a mix between technocrats and politicians.
He said Hizbullah would take part in a Cabinet in which political parties are represented.
Caretaker State Minister Jean Oghassabian on Friday said there is a good chance that March 14 would not join the Miqati-led Cabinet “since we believe that March 8 has an intention to abolish the tribunal, while we believe the STL is a necessity.”
Sources also ruled out the possibility of Miqati forming an expanded 30-member government, saying the business tycoon prefers to work with small groups.
An-Nahar newspaper on Friday quoted March 8 sources as saying Miqati's new Cabinet is likely to be made up of at least 24 ministers.
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