Fears of Continued Cabinet Deadlock over Interior Ministry Portfolio, Tribunal’s Indictment

The cabinet is not likely to be formed anytime soon, sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat after Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun insisted on naming the neutral personality who would lead the interior ministry.

The sources told al-Hayat in remarks published Sunday that both Aoun and President Michel Suleiman, who are at loggerheads over the portfolio, had agreed on giving the ministry to a neutral personality.

But the FPM chief insisted on naming the minister, drawing a swift retort from Suleiman, who refused the suggestion and proposed not naming caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud for any ministry in return for not giving any cabinet seat to caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.

Baroud is backed by the president while Bassil is Aoun’s son-in-law and an FPM official.

The sources also told al-Hayat that the upcoming indictment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would exempt Miqati’s new cabinet from dealing with it. Under this scenario, Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri’s government won’t be able to face the indictment over the political vacuum caused by the cabinet deadlock.

This possibility would help Miqati, who is backed by Hizbullah, to avoid a confrontation with the international tribunal, the sources said.

STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare filed an amended indictment last month based on further evidence in the probe into the 2005 killing of ex-premier Rafik Hariri.

Bellemare has asked for the secrecy surrounding the January 17 indictment to be extended to the amended version. The indictment is widely believed to name Hizbullah members.