Aoun-Hariri Meeting Gives Hope on Lebanese Cabinet Formation this Week
SMA NEWS – BEIRUT
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri promised on Tuesday that a new cabinet would see the light before the Christmas holiday on Friday, speaking about a positive atmosphere during his one-hour meeting with President Michel Aoun.
“We decided to meet tomorrow, but we will not announce the time for security reasons,” he said, adding that the two men would hold successive meetings to come up with a government lineup before Christmas.
Hariri’s announcement came few days after Christian Patriarch Bechara Rai and Security General Abbas Ibrahim intervened separately to break the stalemate over the formation of a new government.
Sources close to the Presidential Palace told Asharq Al-Awsat that a positive atmosphere prevailed during the Aoun-Hariri meeting, however, they ruled out the birth of a new cabinet on Friday.
“An in-depth discussion happened between the two men and Aoun asked Hariri to reconsider the last list of cabinet members and the fair representation of sects before meeting with him again,” the sources said.
This is the 13th meeting between the two men since Hariri was named to form the next government two months ago.
A cautious positivity had prevailed in Lebanon regarding the near formation of a cabinet, particularly after Aoun and Hariri promised to facilitate its birth.
