Denial of Syrian Interference to Solve Lebanon Cabinet Dispute

Lebanese officials allied with Syria have denied to An Nahar newspaper that Damascus was meddling in the government formation process in Lebanon.

“It has been more than four weeks that Premier-designate (Najib) Miqati was tasked with forming the government without Syrian intervention,” the sources said.

“This should be a clear message to everyone that Damascus is not meddling” in Lebanon’s internal affairs regardless of its ties with Miqati and other parties that have backed his nomination, they said.

The denial came a day after the Central News Agency said “Syria has moved from the stage of urging Miqati to speed up the process of cabinet formation to the stage of trying to facilitate his mission.”

The Syrian leadership is now engaged in solving the dispute over shares in the new cabinet “between its new and old allies, and between President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun,” Damascus visitors told the agency.

“Damascus will try to find a solution to the dispute over the interior portfolio,” CNA quoted the visitors as saying.