What is amazing here is the fact that it was General Aoun himself who insisted after the 2005 election that losers in parliamentary election should not be allowed to join the government . What is more amazing is the fact that Bassil has failed badly as the leader of the ministry and is even suing his management team at the ministry for not carrying out his orders.
The Free Patriotic Movement leader has reportedly rejected giving the telecommunications portfolio to anyone other than Bassil. He has also demanded getting at least one key ministry like the energy or education portfolios.
PM-designate Saad Hariri has offered Aoun the telecommunications ministry on condition that it is not headed by Bassil and the tourism, culture and displaced ministries with the possibility of replacing the culture with the social affairs portfolio.
A second offer by Hariri includes giving Aoun the education or energy ministries in addition to the displaced, social affairs and labor portfolios.
Al-Hayat newspaper reported Monday that a Hezbollah delegation visited Damascus during the weekend and discussed with top Syrian officials the Lebanese cabinet issue.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has reiterated that the formation of the cabinet in Beirut is the "responsibility of the Lebanese" and stressed no regional country would form the government.
Neither Syria nor Saudi Arabia nor the summit that brought the two countries' leaders together last month "would form the national unity cabinet in Lebanon," Assad told As Safir newspaper
Local observers in Beirut are insisting that Aoun is just a front man for Hezbollah and so far no signal was given to Hezbollah by Iran or Syria to form the government . This is why Hezbollah continues to back Aoun’s demands knowing they will be rejected by the Prime minister designate. Hezbollah is reportedly awaiting the results of the Iranian negotiations with the west over the nuclear installations. This is precisely why Patriarch Sfeir has accused Hezbollah of putting Iran’s interest ahead of Lebanon’s
Monday
5:30pm CNA: meetings will be held soon between PM-designate Hariri and Hezbollah secretary-general's political assistant Hussein Khalil and MP Suleiman Franjieh.
5:10pm Italian President Georgio Napolitano arrived in Beirut on the head of an official Italian delegation.
2:40pm Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora is heading up a meeting for Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc in Qureitem.
2:37pm Karzai declared Afghan president as run-off canceled
2:01 pm Iran says ready for new talks on nuclear fuel
1:35pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir: Lebanon longs for peace but peace is elusive; the more we approach it the more it disappears.
1:30pm Wiam Wahab: I believe there will be a very special relationship between Hariri and Syria soon.
12:59pm President Michel Suleiman to meet his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano at Baabda palace at 7:00 pm.
12:45pm Judge Fawzi Adham charged 4 employees of the railway department with neglect and fraud.
12:23pm Pierre Michel Karam was granted a world prize for making a scientific achievement in the battle against Hepatitis.
12:09pm MP Simon Abi Ramia to LBC: Contacts between Center House and Rabiyeh were never broken. The atmosphere is not negative but we haven’t reached a final solution yet.
12:04pm MP Antoine Zahra to Future News: Keeping the same cabinet ministers consolidates the May 7 principles.
12:00pm Former PM Salim Hoss: Lebanon has stood against Zionism. The Palestinians will not give up their legal rights.
7:40 Sidon and Tyre ports stopped functioning due to the rain storm.
7:35 MP Michel Khoury told VOL: FPM leader Michel Aoun is awaiting the PM-designate’s response to his demands
Sunday
6:00 pm Lebanon's Central Bank governor Riad Salameh stated that the economy of Lebanon will witness in 2009 a 7% growth rate and an additional 6% in the following year. On the other hand, inflation is expected to reach 3% in 2009 and 2010 on a par.
5:30 pm MP Nadim Gemayel after meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir offered his support and that of his party alleging that the adopted stances serve Lebanon’s best interests.
3:30 pm Lebanese Judge Joyce Tabet officially took over the role of Public Prosecutor’s Deputy of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Tabet is assigned to coordinate between the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Lebanese authorities in matters related to the Special Tribunal. Special Tribunal Prosecutor General Daniel Bellemare said that Tabet will offer “valuable assistance” to his mission, and praised her for accepting the appointment.
