Report: Berri Dismayed after Aoun Rejects Hariri's Govt. Format

Speaker Nabih Berri was “dismayed” by the delay in the government formation process after he agreed to a cabinet line-up format that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri proposed prior to his Friday meeting with President Michel Aoun, a media report said.

That line-up “included three ministers for President Aoun including a Christian loyal to Minister (Talal) Arslan and a Sunni from outside al-Mustaqbal Movement, while granting the three Druze seats to (Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid) Jumblat,” al-Jadeed TV said.

The line-up also involved “allocating the defense portfolio to the Lebanese Forces with the acceptance of all parties but the proposal was rejected in Baabda,” al-Jadeed added.

“All these formulas were rejected and the parties were informed of this on Sunday evening,” the TV network said.