has denied making any such proposals.
One of the proposals according to As Safir called for splitting some sovereign ministries into 2 such as the ministry of Interior and municipalities and the ministry of foreign affairs and immigration
Another proposal according to the same newspaper called for a government of national leaders
Yesterday a new proposal surfaced after the meeting between Hariri and Gebran Bassil . Hariri has reportedly suggested the concept of rotating the ministries.
FPM sources told An Nahar newspaper that Hariri suggested to Caretaker Telecommunications Minster Bassil during their meeting on Wednesday to swap portfolios, meaning the opposition would get the education instead of the telecommunications ministry and the labor instead of the energy ministry.
Aoun has reportedly been insisting on getting five portfolios - 4 for Maronites and one for an Armenian , a sovereign ministry and keeping Bassil as a minister despite opposition by the parliament majority.
Al-Liwaa newspaper said the Hariri-Bassil meeting was fruitless after the FPM official insisted on getting three key portfolios and rejected the PM-designate's rotation offer.
Aoun is reportedly under pressure to be more realistic and reasonable even by some of his close allies . Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly described some of FPM’s demands as unconstitutional.
It is not clear whether another meeting will take place between Hariri and Bassil . As Safir newspaper has reported that Hariri was awaiting Bassil's reply, but FPM sources are claiming “that the ball is still in the PM-designate 's court."
According to observers that time that Hariri should be proposing to Aoun a “take it or leave it offer must be getting very close “.
Many blame the delay in government on the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement and Iran. MP Walid Jumblatt and Speaker Nabih Berri met last night and following their meeting Jumblatt told reporters that he agrees with Berri’s emphasis on Syrian-Saudi relations, adding that he encourages the establishment of a partnership that does not target Iran in order to facilitate the cabinet formation.
” I consider the Syrian-Saudi partnership a basis that guarantees the regional atmosphere for cabinet formation." Jumblatt was quoted as saying
In short , it does not appear that Lebanon will have a government by September 23, the day the president is scheduled to be at the UN on the occasion of naming Lebanon as a non-permanent member of the security council.
Thursday
08:40 pm The Lebanese army arrested four wanted men, including Ali Mohammed Ismail , a top criminal, in house raids in the village of Brital in the Bekaa Valley. Ismail was arrested after being shot in the leg by Lebanese troops. Drugs and weapons and 6 stolen cars were confiscated by the army
08:30 pm SANA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Damascus on Thursday evening and went straight into talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Al-Assad. He is expected to head to Iran from Damascus
8:20pm The Special Tribunal for Lebanon and INTERPOL have concluded an interim agreement on INTERPOL’s assistance to the international court.
8:15pm The Lebanese army arrested four wanted men in house raids in the village of Brital in the Bekaa Valley and seized six stolen cars.
7:40pm Sources told Al Manar TV on the Hariri-Bassil meeting: The atmosphere has not changed and was rather negative as Hariri did not provide anything new regarding ministerial portfolios.
7:30 pm: In China, a swine flu vaccine was approved on Thursday, which also works with one dose, according to its maker, Sinovac Biotech Ltd
07:07pm La Revue du Liban: Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh announced on Thursday that there was a $16 billion cash flow into Lebanon in the last 12 months, especially during the first quarter of 2009, adding that 90% of the flow was exchanged from US dollars to Lebanese liras.
5:50pm Lebanon’s highest Shiite authority Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan stressed there is no enmity between Shiites and the Maronite Patriarchate. He was also quoted as saying that ties are not broken with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
4:06pm The National Bloc told Maj. Gen. Sayyed: He who made a fortune from the General Security’s budget has no right to throw accusations or give lessons.
1:07pm MP Alain Aoun told NBN: We are not against rotating portfolios, but we oppose confessional or monopolizing ministries.
1:00 pm NYT: The death toll from a powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks reached 46 and Indonesian officials said the figure was likely to increase significantly in the coming days.
12:50pm MP Mohammed Raad: Settlement doesn’t mean peace. President Barack Obama’s settlement plan in the region eradicates the Palestinian cause.
12:42pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir: Expatriates should encourage their young children to visit their home country Lebanon.
12:30pm MP Nadim Gemayel delivered to Berri an invitation to participate in a mass on the occasion of the anniversary marking the assassination of former President-elect Bashir Gemayel .
11:53 Former ISF chief Ali Hajj told al-Manar: The fact that the judiciary remained silent is a proof that our accusations against it are true. There is only an attempt to put the tribunal on the right track and not an organized campaign against it.
11:43 MP Abdel Latif al-Zein told Future News: Hariri is not obliged to abide by the demands of parliamentary blocs. The president and the PM-designate are aware of their constitutional powers.
11:20 AFP: Iranian parliament approves 18 nominees of Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s 21-member cabinet
11:11 Miqati after visiting Druze Sheikh Akl Naim Hassan: We are in dire need of a Government of national partnership to meet the challenges
10:44 a political source: The call by Suleiman for the formation of the government before September 15 is wishful thinking
10:42 al Bayan source close to Hariri : Hariri will put forward a surprising proposal on government formation during the next few hours
10:40 Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the UN General assembly meeting later this month
10:36 Opposition sources: those concerned with the STL will not allow the repetition of the scenario of the four officers ( that were jailed and released without trial)
10:35 MP Antoine Zahra told Future News: The majority’s reiteration that it is seeking to form a national unity government has been explained by the other team as surrendering to preconditions.
9:10 Jumblatt after meeting with Berri last night : ” I consider the Syrian-Saudi partnership a basis that guarantees the regional atmosphere for cabinet formation."
8:30 MP Ammar Houry told VOL: The possibilities of cabinet formation are linked to removal of obstacles which won’t disappear without dialogue. The majority wants the minority’s participation but without its preconditions.
7:30 PSP official Rami al-Rayyes told VOL: We have to benefit from any Arab-Arab rapprochement.
Wednesday
6:03pm PM designate Saad Hariri discussed the status of governmnet formation with MP Robert Ghanem
5:58pm Nadim Gemayel invited Siniora and March 14 MPs to attend the memorial marking his father's assassination on September 14
05:42 pm Al Markaziyah : Sfeir did not participate in the presidential Iftar due to the distance between Diman and Baabda
05:37pm Judicial source: the Higher Judicial council considers the accusations by Jamil Sayyed are personal in nature and politically motivated
