A meeting on Tuesday between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib failed to reach an agreement over the general framework of the new government, sources with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The sources explained that Aoun insisted on a government of 24 or 20 ministers, while Adib refused to go back on his decision to form a cabinet of 14 ministers, stressing that there was no justification for the presence of an enlarged government as several ministries could be abolished and others could be merged together.
The sources revealed that the meeting - which preceded the decision issued by the US Treasury to impose sanctions on the two former ministers, MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos - ended with an agreement on the principle of rotating the portfolios between the different sects.
But the rotation agreement will clash with the insistence of the Shiite duo, Amal Party and Hezbollah - to maintain the Ministry of Finance because it allows the Shiites to have the third signature on the financial decrees and decisions, along with the signatures of the President of the Republic, the prime minister, and the relevant ministers.
The sources emphasized that the divergence of views between Aoun and Adib would hinder the birth of the new government, which was expected to be formed before Sunday, that is, two days before the deadline set by French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the sources, the Shiite duo had shown some flexibility, but with the US sanctions imposed on Khalil and Fenianos, Amal and Hezbollah might be forced to harden their position.
On Tuesday, the US slapped sanctions on the two former ministers over their ties with Hezbollah.
Although these sanctions are still being studied by the Shiite duo, specifically by Speaker Nabih Berri, because they affected Khalil, his political aide, the sources said that meetings were held away from the spotlight to create the appropriate conditions for the birth of the government to avoid a political problem with Macron, who had threatened to impose European sanctions on those who hinder the implementation of the French initiative.
