The following are summaries of today's
major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press
digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight
into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said that the main
task of the new cabinet is to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections
pointing out that this process will not be easy in the absence of security.
“In order to have a stable security situation, the new
cabinet should be formed upon the agreement of all parties,” Minister Charbel
said.
Minister Charbel told the Kuwaiti newspaper
Al-Seyassah that
political factions have the will to help Prime Minister-Designate in the
formation of the Cabinet since he was nominated by 124 deputies.
As for the electoral file, Charbel expressed his hope that
political parties agree upon an electoral law before the 20th of
June adding that the formation of the cabinet is what maintains the country’s
stability.
As-Safir
newspaper said on Saturday that the meeting which was held on Friday morning
between Hezbollah Secretary General Political Assistant Hajj Hussein Khalil,
Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Minister Gebran Bassil was to agree upon some
constants regarding the formation of the new cabinet.
In this
regard,
As-Safir newspaper said that officials expressed their rejection to any
one-sided cabinet adding that they reject the absence of any political faction
and stressing on the importance of adhering to the Taif Agreement.
As for the
type of the cabinet, the newspaper reported that the officials highlighted the
importance of forming a political government capable of facing the upcoming
entitlements as well as the developments in Lebanon and the region.
In this context, a political source in the
March 8 coalition told
As-Safir that the formation of the new cabinet should be
linked to the ratification of a new electoral law.
- MP Hobeiche says cabinet’s final formula is being studied
Future Bloc MP Hadi Hobeiche said that the final formula of
the new cabinet which is being worked upon is that of a non-political
government made up of 24 ministers.
Hobeiche told
Acharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there are new
attempts to have similar points of view regarding the new cabinet seemingly
since some factions are calling for a political cabinet, while other are
calling for a neutral or rescue cabinet.
- MP Daher:
Calling for a political government does not facilitate the task of PM-Designate
Salam
Future Bloc
MP Khaled Daher said that the task of Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam is
not easy in the presence of a party calling for the formation of a political
cabinet and demanding specific portfolios such as the Ministries of Energy, Telecommunications,
and Foreign Affairs.
Daher told
Al-Anbaa newspaper that facilitating the task of PM-Designate Salam should be
by adopting the formula of a homogeneous non-political cabinet with its
ministers not running to the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Daher added
the new cabinet should only work for the benefit of Lebanon pointing out that
Hezbollah will not easily give up on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since it
has a project that goes beyond the interest of Lebanon which is supporting the Syrian
regime.
As for the
stance of the Marada Party Leader MP Sleiman Franjieh regarding parliamentary consultations,
MP Daher said that “the latter’s stance came in line with his Syrian role” and
added that President Michel Sleiman along with PM-Designate Salam, March 14
Forces, and the Head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt agreed
that the army-people-resistance equation will no longer be listed in
governmental statements as a legitimate cover for Hezbollah’s weapons.