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Lebanon’s Hariri: We Want a Government of National Consensus

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanon’s Hariri: We Want a Government of National Consensus

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri began on Friday the consultations to form a new government by meeting with the former premiers, including Salim Hoss, Najib Miqati, Fouad Saniora and Tamam Salam.
 
“We want a government that is based on national consensus with regards to broad headlines and even on certain details,” Hariri said following his meeting with Hoss, adding: “We are working in the same positive spirit as we did during the past year and a half...and I am sure we can accomplish a lot.”
 
He also said: “Regional pressure will accelerate the formation of the government as long as there is internal consensus.”
 
Hariri reiterated that none of the Future Movement deputies will be given cabinet seats, noting that there is no disagreement over this issue with caretaker Interior Minister Nohad al-Mashnouq.
 
In remarks following his meeting with Miqati, the prime minister-designate underlined that consensus would strengthen the country, adding that he hoped to promote his relation with the former premier.
 
A statement by Hariri’s office said the two sides stressed that consensus between all parties would reinforce the country and that all political blocs wanted to accelerate the formation of the government.
 
For his part, Miqati said: “We are in front of an important turning point… we agree with Hariri on building the state on the right foundations, including fighting corruption.”
 
Addressing reporters at the end of his visit to Siniora, Hariri underlined the importance of boosting Lebanon’s economy and providing employment opportunities for young Lebanese men and women, referring to the “historic opportunity to implement the Cedar Conference recommendations.”
 
“We all want a rapid cabinet formation for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese. The challenges are great in the country, both economically and regionally,” he added.

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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.