Berri Supports Suleiman’s Statements on Appointments of Top Civil Servants

Speaker Nabih Berri voiced his support for President Michel Suleiman’s statements on the appointments of top civil servants.

He told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Friday that it would be difficult to make them in one haul as the president had feared.

Suleiman had hoped on Thursday that the government would “make the appointments of top civil servants in gradual steps and not in one single haul.”

He explained that the appointments should be made according to merit.

The president’s statements should serve to test the various political parties’ intentions in the matter, reported An Nahar on Friday.

Informed sources did not rule out the possibility of tensions emerging in cabinet over the appointments, “despite some sides’ implicit acceptance of the president’s proposals.”

The various parties would likely accept the proposal, “despite their threats that they would obstruct the issue should their demands on sensitive issues not be met.”

Informed sources however ruled out the possibility that the appointments would be addressed during cabinet’s session on Tuesday.

They said that the diplomatic proposals will likely be addressed instead.