According to As-Safir newspaper the meeting did not result in any agreement regarding the government formation , but both leaders agreed to stop media campaigns and foster dialogue between them .
As-Safir reported that Hariri concluded the meeting by presenting two proposals, the first to divide the Interior ministry ( a sovereign ministry) into two : Interior and Municipalities ministries , and the Foreign ministry ( another sovereign ministry) into two : Foreign and Immigrants ministries . The other proposal was to form a cabinet of “national political leaders”
Note : Hariri denied today making any proposals that call for dividing the sovereign ministries
Aoun accepted the idea of forming a cabinet composed of national political leaders, while noting that dividing sovereign ministries would need law amendments, which he said cannot be done before forming the new cabinet. However, Aoun said he will wait for Hariri to present him with a suggestion on how the issue could be pursued.
As-Safir also revealed that the FPM leader did not change his demands on being granted the Interior and Telecommunications ministries, as well as being given four Maronite ministerial seats, while Hariri insisted on not appointing any candidate who was defeated in the June 7 parliamentary elections. ( In refrerence to Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil )
During the meeting, President Suleiman stressed the necessity of speeding up the cabinet formation.
Another important event took place yesterday . 67 of the 71 majority MPs met for the first time since the election in a show of unity and to express support for Hariri . The meeting was important because the Democratic Gathering bloc which is headed by MP Walid Jumblatt also attended the meeting despite his statement early August over leaving the March 14 majority alliance .
Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Abu Faour was asked by Hariri to be the spokesman of the majority . Following the meeting he read the majority’s statement in a press conference on Monday . He stressed that the majority fully supports Prime Minister -designate Saad Hariri and his efforts to form the new cabinet, adding that the upcoming government should be based on the Lebanese constitution.
Abu Faour told reporters : “The majority’s openness to form a national-unity cabinet does not annul the 2009 parliamentary election results or give anyone the right to impose conditions on Saad Hariri and Michel Suleiman,”
Abu Faour said that the majority stressed during the meeting its commitment to democracy, the Taif Accord and the equal sharing of power between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon.
As suggested by MP Walid Jumblatt regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) the statement stated that it (STL) should not be part of the domestic political disputes.
“Political parties must put the nation’s interests above theirs,” Abu Faour concluded
Tuesday
8:30 pm President Suleiman at the Iftar : “How could Lebanon be invited to play an effective role toward building international peace,” a reference to the country’s nomination to the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, “while being internally incapable of forming the long overdue national-unity government.”
07:50 pm IAEA’s Baradei : “The idea that we will wake up tomorrow, and Iran will have a nuclear weapon is an idea that is not supported by the facts as we have seen them so far,” he said.
6:4o pm Guests start arriving at the Presidential Palace in Baabda for the annual Iftar that will be hosted by the president
06:02 pm Higher Judicial Council called for distancing the judiciary from politics and condemns the recent attacks against judicial figures by Jamil Sayyed
04:30 pm Al-Arabiya TV: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad removes 40 ambassadors from their posts for supporting opposition.
4:20 pm BBC: An Iranian news agency says Mohsen Ruholamini, 25 arrested during post-election protests died after being beaten, and not from meningitis as police had first claimed.
1 :55 pm NNA: Higher Judicial Council is currently meeting and is expected to discuss accusations launched by former head of General Security Directorate Jamil As-Sayyed
12: 00 pm Following his meeting with Solana , president Suleiman stressed the importance of granting the Palestinians the right of return, “since any Mideast solution that fails to give this right” to the Palestinians “would instigate problems in the region,” , he said
10:40 President Michel Suleiman meets with EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana at the Baabda Palace
9:40 Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has reportedly told a meeting of the parliamentary majority MPs in Qoreitem on Monday that 90 percent of the Cabinet lineup related to the majority and the President as well as Hezbollah and AMAL movement has been achieved.
09:30 Higher Judicial Council will discuss Tuesday Sayyed’s statements. The council members are to take a position regarding the accusations launched by Sayyed against some judges, including Saqr Saqr and Said Mirza.
09:05 Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon: Conditions do not favor cabinet being formed soon. He emphasized the need for holding another meeting soon between Hariri and Aoun
08:58 MP Alain Aoun told the Voice of Lebanon: No progress has been made on cabinet formation. He added : “Hariri did not present any new proposals, and the two leaders only held discussions,” , in reference to the Aoun - Hariri meeting
07:10 Hariri has asked his MPs to reduce media contacts
07:03 "Al Akhbar ": MP Michel Murr did not make any suggestions nor did he comment on any of issues discussed during the parliament majority meeting
06:59 Hariri has asked Abu Faour to read the final statement of the majority meeting yesterday
06:53 yesterday's meeting reflected positively on the relationship between the Democratic Gathering bloc and of the Lebanese Forces’bloc
06:22 an Islamic Iftar in Quraytam Thursday which "Hezbollah" , Amal and Sheih Qabalan were invited
06:15 Jumblatt imposed on the majority during yesterday’s meeting the paragraph related to the International Tribunal
06:12 Suleiman notified Berri about the results of the meeting between Aoun and Hariri
06:05 Hariri proposed a "government of national leaders" and Aoun immediately accepted
05:48 Hariri told the majority at the meeting: I will continue the policy of extending a hand and to continue to communicate with all
05:35 Hariri circles: The main issues with Aoun remain unresolved
05:28 sources of "Free Patriotic Movement": Aoun asked for four Maronite ministers and one Armenian Minister
05:15 "An-Nahar:" Aoun-Hariri meeting has not made any substantial political progress
Monday
11:00 As-Safir : Billionaire Hajj Salah Ezzedine a Hezbollah publishing executive has declared bankruptcy. He is the director of the Hezbollah-owned Dar Al-Hadi Publishing House. His bankruptcy has affected thousands of Lebanese investors who are sympathetic to Hezbollah
10:54 pm Reuters: Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century of hostility.
05:25 pm Speaker Nabih Berri said during the 31st anniversary of Imam Moussa Sadr’s disappearance in Libya: “Libya tops the list of countries carrying out organized crime, and therefore should not preside over the Arab summit.” He added “Saudi-Syrian balance is key to stability in Lebanon”
05:00 pm Caretaker minister Wael Abu Faour said after the meeting of the majority: The majority fully support’s Prime Minister -designate Saad Hariri and his efforts to form the new cabinet based on the Lebanese constitution. The majority holds on to democracy, the Taif Accord and the equal sharing of power between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon
3:38pm Majority MPs begin first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections in Qoreitem in presence of Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt
3:30pm Majority MPs begin to arrive at PM-designate Saad Hariri’s residence in Qoreitem for their first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections
3:20 Qaouk : The resistance is not looking for political gains in the new government
2:30 pm NAVTEQ, has released its first map of Lebanon. Through this map, drivers will have access to around 14,000 km of roads and over 8,000 Points of Interest (POIs) referenced to the map to support destination selection in navigation systems.
2:20 pm BBC The election defeat of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule and the landslide victory of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has met a cautious welcome in newspapers around in the world.
02;10 Hariri after his meeting with Aoun :
- This was an to ice breaking meeting like the General said.
- I want to thank the president for sponsoring the meeting. There are difficulties, but there is serious dialogue to conclude the government formation.
