BEIRUT: An agreement has been reached over the shape of Lebanon’s next government, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday, adding all that remained was the distribution of ministerial portfolios.
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri aims to form a coalition Cabinet, which includes his “March 14” alliance with a rival coalition including the Hezbollah and its allies.
Berri said only “technical issues” remained, such as distributing ministerial portfolios and assigning ministers to them, a process which should be completed in the next few days.
“The political process that is related to forming the government ... it can be confirmed that it has been completed,” Berri told reporters after meeting President Michel Suleiman.
The main sticking point had been the opposition’s demand for 11 ministers in the Cabinet, giving them veto power.
A senior politician told Reuters on Tuesday there was agreement on dividing seats in a new 30-minister government in a way that would give neither Hariri’s alliance an absolute majority nor Hezbollah and its allies veto power.
President Suleiman would be given a decisive say by being allowed to nominate five ministers, including one Shiite to be approved by Hezbollah and its ally the Shiite Amal movement.
Hariri, who met Berri on Tuesday night, has said very little publicly about his talks. A senior political source said the two agreed on the formula for dividing the seats in which Hariri’s coalition would get 15 seats, Hezbollah and its allies 10 seats, and five to Suleiman — the interior and defense posts, and three state ministers.
Berri said on Wednesday agreement was reached on the “guaranteeing role” of the presidency, the main direction and policies the government will undertake and its position on “national and resistance” issues, referring to the controversial issue of Hezbollah’s weapons.
