According to As-Safir newspaper , Berri is not only disgusted by his also angry because “the current cabinet crisis can no longer afford further delay,” especially in light of regional instability.
Even president Assad of Syria is disgusted and is reportedly anxious to have the government formed quickly in Lebanon . He reportedly called Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh to facilitate the formation of a government. Franjiyeh and Berri will both roll up their sleeves to help find a solution according to morning reports
The question is : Is Berri capable of convincing his Hezbollah allies of telling General Michel Aoun to soften his demands
The other question is : Is Franjieh , who is a member of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc able to convince his boss of softening his demands
It won’t be long before we find out !
Our main concern is that the issue of government formation is a lot bigger than Berri and Franjiyeh
Berri is overshadowed by Hezbollah and is politically very week
On the other hand nobody in Lebanon takes Franjiyeh seriously
The issue in Lebanon is legitimacy versus illegitimacy . The legitimacy of a strong state versus the illegitimate Hezbollah “ state within a state “ . Unless Hezbollah is convinced that The Lebanese army should be the only legitimate armed entity in Lebanon that should be defending the country , we cannot have a strong government and Lebanon will continue to be a failed state
Some are calling the government formation the “1001 night” story
Monday
8:40pm Future News: Ghobeiry's mishap is a result of machinegun clashes between Amal and Hezbollah supporters.
8:35pm LBC: 2 persons were wounded in Ghobeiry's shooting and the army is working on containing the incident.
8: 20pm an 86 year old man died from swine flue at a hospital in mount Lebanon
8:20pm OTV: Berri may propose an initiative on Tuesday after the parliamentary committees session. It includes a practical formula for a comprehensive rotation of portfolios in a way that doesn't exclude anyone.
8:16pm MTV: Heavy machinegun shooting was heard in Ghobeiry area as security forces rushed to the scene to identify the reasons.
8:15pm Thieves managed to steal jewelry worth of $25,000 from the house of MP Khalid Zahraman in Shoueifat.
8:05pm Al Manar TV: Hariri met with Hezbollah's official Hussein Khalil on Sunday night.
7:45pm PM-designate Saad Hariri met with Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad al-Assiri at Center House. The two men discussed the current political developments.
6:18 pm UN representative Williams after meeting with Franjieh : we are concerned about the delay in government formation what is required is flexibility and sincerity from all
6:00 pm CNN: US Drug Enforcement Administration personnel were among 14 Americans killed in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan on Monday, said a US military official with access to information about the crash
5:50 pm Jumblatt said the UN report on 1559 should have been more balanced . The UN should be on the side of truth and should not be biased ' He said the issue of Hezbollah arms will be discussed during dialogue talks
5:00 pm Sixteen Americans have died in a series of helicopter crashes and violent Taleban attacks across Afghanistan, in one of the bloodiest 24 hours for allied forces since the 2001 invasion.
3:55pm After meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh , Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil said, “We are open to all solutions, but not to injustice.”
3:00pm At least 14 Americans ( 11 soldiers and 3 civilians ) have been killed when two helicopters collided mid-air in the south, Nato-led forces said.The US denied that hostile fire to blame for the incident, but the Taliban said it was behind the vcrash.
2:55 The father of Zainab el Dana denied that she died from swine virus. The ministry of health declared that the pregnant woman died from the swine virus
2:30pm A teacher and a student were wounded with the bullets of unidentified assailants who opened fire at the security forces while they were trying to reopen the road leading to Bakhoun vocational school after being closed by protesters.
2:03 pm Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil in Ain al-Tineh
2:01pm MP Imad al-Hout told As-Sharq radio station: Hard facts indicate cabinet will not be formed soon
12:19pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir: The cabinet lineup should be unveiled as soon as possible to preserve Lebanon and national unity.
12:15pm Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora: The government will be formed. However, it needs some time. We should work on stabilizing the situation in Lebanon.
12:15 pm IC Ras Beirut Middle School decided tol close down from Tuesday, October 27 through Sunday, November 1 after discovering they had 19 confirmed cases of Swine Flu
11:56am The health ministry urged physicians to follow the ministry’s instructions and speed up checkups of people having swine flu symptoms.
10:35 Israeli newspaper Haaretz : Tel Aviv informed the UN that it will continue gathering intelligence in southern Lebanon “as long as the government in Beirut is not in full control of its territory.”
09:18 Rony Elias Jerjes, 33 was killed by high voltage electric wire when he tried to climb an electricity pole in Dahr al-Ain
09:13 ministerial source told al Liwaa; the negotiation room of swapping "communication" has become very narrow
09:11 Hariri is engaged in sensitive and crucial discussions with his allies and may need
another two days to finalize agreements
09:07 Rabia sources: awaiting the results of a initiatives by Franjieh and Berri and the majority discussions
09:01 al Liwaaa; postponement of the parliamentary session to elect the parliamentary committees
09:00 a joint military drill between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL troops in the south before noon today
08:46: There is an intended disruption of the government formation by the opposition group
08:30 Antoine Saad: The regime change is the ultimate goal of the opposition
8:25 MP Riyad Rahhal told VOL: If portfolios such as the public works, the education and culture ministry are not equivalent to the telecommunication ministry , then what is? Demands for more shares mean more obstruction.
08:16 sources of al Balad : Renewing the talk by Aoun about the Ministries of Finance or Internal is not clear
08:05 al Hayat : Hariri has offered Aoun many alternatives and asked him to choose one of them
07:59 Sources: "Communications" ministry was offered to Jumblatt instead of the "the public works" but he rejected it
07:55 al Hayat : Aoun asked for "public works ministry " as an alternative to "communications"
07:44 Mario Aoun: we are ready to give up the "ministry of communication " for either the "interior " or "finance" ministries
07:19 "al Akhbar ": Kouchner confirmed that the Americans are now talking about the formula "15 +10 +5"
Sunday
9:30 pm The challenger to President Hamid Karzai is considering boycotting the upcoming runoff if his demands are not met to remove the leaders of Afghanistan's election commission who he believes are biased
8:57 pm former president Gemayel : there are no indications that a solution is within reach for the current impasse
8:28 pm MP Boutros Harb : If the opinion of the people of this country is not taken into consideration then I have no other option but to defend their dignity
8:07pm Health Minister Khalifa told LBC: the swine flu vaccine will be in the local market within weeks and the doctors should seriously follow up the status of their patients
8:05pm LBC: Hariri asked Jumblatt to give up the ministry of public works in favor of Aoun but Jumblatt expressed reservation which prompted Hariri to look elsewhere for a solution to the impasse
