The optimism that surrounded the Lebanese government formation process last week dropped on Monday after concerned parties failed to resolve disputes over the Christian and Druze ministerial shares.
Backed by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) is standing firm behind its “rightful” demands to appoint all Druze ministers in the next cabinet.
This pits it in confrontation with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which is insisting on appointing head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, MP Talal Arslan, as a minister representing the Druze share.
Caretaker Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh said that a cabinet could be formed soon should the PSP enjoy "exclusive" rights to represent the Druze in Lebanon.
On the Christian side, several potential government formations have been discussed, but no formula could please both the Lebanese Forces (LF) and FPM.
Although the LF informed Hariri about its readiness to offer some concessions by obtaining four ministerial portfolios, including one sovereign ministry, caretaker Foreign Minister and FPM Jebran Bassil responded that President Michel Aoun and the largest Christian bloc should receive two sovereign portfolios.
He added that whichever party wants to grant the LF a sovereign ministry should do so from its own share.
The FPM later claimed that the LF had accepted a proposal to obtain a “semi-sovereign” ministry or four service ministries, said deputy Mario Aoun.
This was categorically denied by a leading LF source.
It told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We already gave up our demands for five ministries by accepting to receive four, including a sovereign one. Any attempt to evade our demands is unacceptable.”
“We are demanding that the sovereign Christian portfolios be distributed fairly between the two largest Christian blocs: The LF and FPM,” he went on to say.
MP Aoun said that resolving the inter-Christian cabinet formation "knot" does not necessarily mean reaching a final solution to the formation process.
