— including those from Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria — for thwarting his attempts to forge a unity government .
The rival Lebanese factions had agreed on the broad outline of a cabinet, but failed to resolve disputes about who would head which ministries
Following his re-designation Hariri said he was open to all ideas about how to make progress. Hariri said he would launch consultations with all parties following Eid al-Fitr holiday to form an "effective and harmonious" cabinet that respects the constitution and the results of the parliamentary polls.
The 39-year-old Future leader is the son of the assassinated billionaire and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In his acceptance speech at Baabda palace Hariri hinted that he would take a tougher stand in dealing with his rivals' demands while insisting he was open to dialogue.
"The conditions they set in the first phase blocked the possibility of forming a national unity government," Hariri told reporters. "We now face a new challenge, and I do not want to make empty promises.
"The promise I make to myself, before God and before the Lebanese is to respect the constitution, work to ensure the widest participation possible in government and continue dialogue," he added.
All the opposition MPs except for the Armenian Tashnag party, refrained from naming anyone for the premiership during the two days of parliamentary consultations at the Baabda palace.
Berri promised last week to endorse Hariri like he did last June , but later changed his mind , reportedly because of pressure from Hezbollah, Syria and Iran
Diplomatic observers were quoted by the local media as saying: “If March 8 sticks to its demands then the government formation crises will be around for a long time “
Thursday
8:15pm Parliamentary sources warned of troubles and riots beginning to show in Beirut districts.
5:30pm Michel Aoun after meeting PM-designate Hariri: We agreed on the necessity of calmness and keeping away from tension.
3:45pm PM-designate Hariri confirmed the necessity of Taef’s implementation and the dialogue with all parties without prior conditions.
3:43 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri meets with caretaker PM Fouad Siniora at his house
3:10pm Former PM Karame: The actual situation demands a speeding up in Cabinet lineup.
3:08pm Caretaker Minister of defense Elias Murr meets wit army chief Kahwaji to discuss the security situation
2::25pm MP Fatfat : A government of technocrats may have been difficult to form , but the government of national unity was much more difficult
2:10 pm Reuters : Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday fraud claims in last month's presidential poll were exaggerated ,
2:05 pm Indonesia's most wanted Islamist militant, Noordin Mohammad Top, was killed in a police shoot-out in Central Java, police said on Thursday, lifting a major security threat ahead of a planned visit by US President Barack Obama
2:00pm Six Italian soldiers were killed and four seriously injured when a suicide bomber crashed a car into a military convoy in central Kabul in the worst attack against the country's forces
1 :42pm PM-designate Hariri did not make any statement after meeting with MP Michel Aoun in Rabiyeh.
1:00pm MP Fouad Siniora headed the meeting of Francophone Games' Committee with Minister Tamam Salam and CNJF members.
12:40pm PM-designate Hariri, is meeting with former PM Selim el Hoss.
12:15pm PM-designate Saad Hariri started his traditional visits with former PMs, His first meeting is with former PM Rachid El Solh.
11:00 Abdullah Oussama , a Lebanese-born Swede was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to open a terrorism training camp in Oregon in 1999 to help al-Qaida. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Kassir "trained men to become terrorists on American soil."
10:51 MP Antoine Zahra told Future News: MP Michel Aoun should not ridicule the Patriarch because he has not joined any political party.
10:30 Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz received former PM Najib Miqati last evening in al-Safa Palace in Mecca.
10:10 MP Hubeish told LBC : It is very rude to accuse Patriarch Sfeir of belonging to a specific political party . The formula of 15 -10-5 is no longer the base for forming a government
9:09 The army intelligence arrested Mohammad H. , the 6th suspect in the Barouk internet company issue
8:50 Cardinal Sfeir at the Beirut airport on his way to Rome : I am with a cabinet that manages people’s affairs. The cabinet crisis will not be solved if there is no willingness to save the country.
8:30 MP Anwar al-Khalil told VOL: Hariri’s speech on Wednesday was vague. Does he want to give up the 15-10-5 formula? Or he wants to form a majority cabinet?
7:25 Minister Elie Marouni told VOL: Hariri’s reappointment freed him from previous commitments on cabinet formation based on the 15-10-5 formula.
07:22 "An-Nahar": the meeting between Berri and Hariri was characterized as cold
07:00 al Akhbar : the latest positions of the Safir, has blown up any chances for meetings between Aoun and the Church
06: Fattoush’s close associate : He has been an independent and will remain so
06:40 a security source informs General Rifi that there is a plot to assassinate him
6:30 al-Akhbar : Damascus has filed a complaint with the U.N. against former chief UN investigator Detlev Mehlis and his aide Gerhard Lehmann accusing them of trying to frame Syria in the assassination case of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri. The complaint says Mehlis "fabricated, forged and created politicized information to hit at Syria and its reputation," according to the source.
06:28 Diplomatic sources: if March 8 sticks to its demands then the government formation crises will be around for a long time
06:15 "As Safir ": A yacht was launched from Lebanon , stopped at the port of Haifa and then headed to the commercial port of Ashkelon
06:00 Jumblatt: Let the regional powers deal on issues within the Government
Wednesday
9::19pm MP Ogassbian : No cabinet in Lebanon without the Shiites and for this reason the crises could continue if the situation remains as is
9:21 pm George Mitchell left Beirut for Cairo after a short visit to Lebanon that lasted few hours
08:27 pm Mitchell conveyed the greetings of President Obama to president Suleiman and renewed his country's support for Lebanon and its institutions and its assistance at every level: the issue of refugees a priority and are careful on making sure that any solution will not be at the expense of Lebanon or its interests , said Mitchell
8:25pm Mitchell briefed President Suleiman briefed about his efforts concerning peace negotiations: We hope his efforts will lead to the re-launch of peaceful negotiations for the sake of a just and lasting peace , Suleiman said
8:15ppm first lady Wafaa Suleiman told "MTV": It is natural for women to join the government and it is easy to find many qualified Lebanese women for ministerial position s , but unfortunately our sectarian system limits our choice
8:10 pm STL’s Bellemare told Future news : Progress has been but “conspirators and perpetrators are still at large.” He added: “When political attacks against the tribunal increase, I realize I am approaching the truth.”
7:19pm Lebanese Security forces have deployed in Burg el Barajneh to control the situation
7:10pm U.S. special envoy George Mitchell leaves Baabda without making any statement
6:30pm U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is meeting with President Suleiman in Baabda.
18:26 OTV: gunfire shots were heard in Burg el Barajneh and unknown gunmen were spotted on the streets
6:21pm U.S. Special envoy George Mitchell arrived in Beirut coming from Amman on a private jet
5:30pm Military Commander Kahwaji met Police Chief Rifi for a roundup of the latest security
5:20 pm Afghan President Hamid Karzai won 54.6 percent of the preliminary result released on Wednesday from controversial elections, but his victory is not secure until claims of massive vote fraud are resolved.
5:10 pm FPM leader MP Michel Aoun following the Change and Reform bloc meeting accuses Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir of no longer being neutral and of having joined the Lebanese Forces party. He also said ““If our presence (in the cabinet) is not necessary, then let them form the government without us.”, but if they want us they have to pay the price
3:45pm following his designation as PM-designate Hariri said : “The Lebanese want a Cabinet able to run the country and to solve the accumulated problems not to handle the ongoing political bickering.”. He vowed to hold on to dialogue as a steady base for communication and to adhere to the Constitution. He also said he will start consultations with all political parties right after the Eid al-Fitr and will be open to new ideas
3:10 Speaker Berri leaves Baabda palace without making any statement
3:00pm President Michel Suleiman renamed MP Saad Hariri as PM designate and asked him to form the new government.
2:57pm MP Saad Hariri joined the meeting between Speaker Berri and President Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.
2:32pm Speaker Nabih Berri meets with President Suleiman at Baabda Palace to discuss results of the Parliamentary Consultations
2:30pm MP Saniora: I rename Hariri as PM-designate and I call everyone to stick to the Constitution.
2:20pm 73 MPs named Saad Hariri to form a government at the end of two days of parliamentary consultations with the president.
2:15pm A huge fire broke out in Zouk Powerplant. Causes are still unknown.
2:00pm MP Fouad Siniora arrived to Baabda Palace to meet with President Suleiman.
1:56pm NNA: Fatah al-Islam inmates in Roumieh prison announced they are going on a hunger strike.
1:57pm President Suleiman is awaiting the arrival of caretaker PM Foad Siniora for concluding the consultations over the naming of a PM designate who will form the cabinet
1:40pm Security source told Future News: Security forces are trying to quell a riot attempt inside the high security Roumieh prison.
1:32pm MPs Robert Abu Fadel, Dory Chamoun, Michel Pharaon, Robert Ghanem, Butros Harb and Nayla Tueni nominated Hariri for premiership.
1;30 pm Reuters: The United States and Israel ended another round of talks on Wednesday with no sign yet of a deal on a West Bank settlement freeze, but a US envoy planned to meet again with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
1:12pm Lebanese Army: Israeli troops opened fire on a fishing boat on Tuesday inside Lebanese territorial waters in a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
12:59pm Sfeir: Naming deputies who failed in elections would be contrary to the nation's will.
