Lebanon’s political stalemate is awaiting a reaction by French President Emmanuel Macron over President Michel Aoun’s insistence to lock the doors to the birth of the new government.
Despite Macron’s efforts and his direct involvement in the government crisis, a meeting on Friday between Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri in Baabda brought back negotiations to form a new government to ground zero.
Sources with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the French president contacted Aoun ahead of the meeting. They also stressed that Macron would not remain idle in the face of the Lebanese president’s intransigence in his refusal to push the government’s formation process forward.
In a speech on Sunday, Hariri lashed out at Aoun, accusing him of obstructing all attempts to form a government and brandishing a list he said he received from the president that included names of persons the latter personally selected to join the government.
The Lebanese presidency responded to Hariri’s speech by accusing him of imposing new norms outside the rules of the cabinet formation process, but without denying the names contained in the list.
A statement by the presidency said that Hariri’s speech included “many fallacies and incorrect statements.”
According to the sources, Hariri coordinated with Macron in every point and obstacle that is still delaying the formation of the government, especially as the French president has become aware of all the details.
They added that Macron would not remain silent and would express, in the coming days, the appropriate position towards the party that is obstructing the birth of the government.
The sources emphasized that they had enough indications that Hezbollah was backing Aoun’s insistence on having the blocking third in the government. Hariri had reiterated his rejection to granting the vetoing third to any side – a position that was also expressed by Amal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP).
Therefore, Aoun finds himself politically isolated and forced to hand over his papers to Hezbollah. He is currently trying, according to the sources, to lead the country to a government crisis, as the only way to restore the political role of his son-in-law, former Minister and MP Gebran Bassil.
