Lebanon: Adib Meets Aoun for More Consultations as Cabinet Deadline in Doubt

Adib talks to the media after being named Lebanon's new PM at the Baabda Palace, Lebanon, August 31, 2020. Reuters file photo
Adib talks to the media after being named Lebanon's new PM at the Baabda Palace, Lebanon, August 31, 2020. Reuters file photo
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Lebanon: Adib Meets Aoun for More Consultations as Cabinet Deadline in Doubt

Adib talks to the media after being named Lebanon's new PM at the Baabda Palace, Lebanon, August 31, 2020. Reuters file photo
Adib talks to the media after being named Lebanon's new PM at the Baabda Palace, Lebanon, August 31, 2020. Reuters file photo

Lebanese PM-designate Mustapha Adib said on Monday he had met President Michel Aoun for more consultations, raising doubts that he could form his cabinet by a deadline agreed with France.

"God willing, all will be well," Adib told reporters following his meeting with Aoun at Baabda Palace.

Lebanese politicians promised French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Beirut on Sept. 1 to form a government in two weeks, part of a roadmap drawn up by Paris to start reforms.

An official source had previously said the prime minister-designate would present plans for his cabinet on Monday. But on Sunday Speaker Nabih Berri voiced objection to the way Adib was putting together a cabinet, undermining prospects for his government of technocrats to win support across the sectarian divide.

Some worry that even outside pressure cannot force reform on politicians, for whom reform means an end to power and perhaps eventual accountability.

Lebanon’s ruling class, in power since the end of the civil war in 1990, has run the tiny country and its population into the ground. Heading a sectarian system that encourages corruption over governing, the elite have enriched themselves while investing little on infrastructure, failing to build a productive economy and pushing it to the verge of bankruptcy.

Anger over corruption and mismanagement has come to a peak after the giant Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut’s port, caused by the detonation of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that politicians allowed to sit there for years. Nearly 200 people were killed and tens of thousands of homes were damaged.



France Says Algeria Threatening to Expel Diplomatic Staff 

This handout photograph released by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) shows France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meeting with Algeria's Foreign Minister at the ministry headquarters in Algiers on April 6, 2025. (AFP Photo / Handout / Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)
This handout photograph released by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) shows France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meeting with Algeria's Foreign Minister at the ministry headquarters in Algiers on April 6, 2025. (AFP Photo / Handout / Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)
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France Says Algeria Threatening to Expel Diplomatic Staff 

This handout photograph released by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) shows France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meeting with Algeria's Foreign Minister at the ministry headquarters in Algiers on April 6, 2025. (AFP Photo / Handout / Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)
This handout photograph released by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) shows France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot meeting with Algeria's Foreign Minister at the ministry headquarters in Algiers on April 6, 2025. (AFP Photo / Handout / Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)

France said on Monday that Algeria had threatened to expel 12 of its diplomatic staff and that it would take immediate reprisals should that occur in the latest flare-up between them.

Algeria protested over the weekend against Frances's detention of an Algerian consular agent suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an Algerian. French media said three people, including the diplomat, were under investigation over the seizure of Algerian government opponent Amir Boukhors.

"The Algerian authorities are demanding that 12 of our agents leave Algerian territory within 48 hours," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a statement.

"If the decision to expel our agents is maintained, we will have no choice but to respond immediately."

There was no immediate confirmation from Algeria of an imminent expulsion.

France's relations with its former colony have long been complicated, but took a turn for the worse last year when French President Emmanuel Macron angered Algeria by backing Morocco's position over the disputed Western Sahara region.

Only last week, Barrot had said ties were returning to normal after a visit to Algeria.