On the eve of parliamentary consultations at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, a total of 86 MPs are poised to rename Saad Hariri as premier-designate to form a new government.
Among the 86 MPs are 71 from the majority March 14 coalition in addition to lawmakers from Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc and two from Tashnag.

“Lebanon First” parliamentary bloc will meet in Qoreitem at 2:00 pm Monday to rename Hariri after he abandoned efforts to form a new government

Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier-designate after the Opposition rejected the Cabinet lineup he proposed earlier this week.

The Development and Liberation bloc is also scheduled to convene under Berri to declare its position vis-à-vis Hariri’s re-appointment.

The daily An-Nahar on Monday quoted sources from the Development and Liberation bloc as saying Berri’s alliance would rename Hariri.

Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc will refrain from giving a decision.

Al-Liwaa newspaper, meanwhile, quoted sources from the majority as saying Hariri would not accept a “haphazard mission this time.”

Speaker Nabih Berri will not let go of Saad Hariri as prime minister in the event the Mustaqbal Movement leader decided to bow out.
“In the event he apologized … I will only rename Hariri,” the daily As-Safir quoted Berri as saying.

It said Hariri contacted Berri on Wednesday to convey his desire to head to Beiteddine to submit his resignation to the President.

As-Safir said Berri pleaded with Hariri to delay his decision a few days, “pending a settlement that would please everybody.”

Caretaker Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil said a meeting on Wednesday between President Michel Suleiman and an Opposition delegation was “positive” and there was “mutual understanding” between the two sides.
“At the end, the problem is not with the President, but with Saad Hariri,” Bassil said in an interview published Thursday with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.
“We hope that the concessions we offered would be met by similar concessions,” Bassil said.

He said he also hoped that Hariri does not intend to “further derail or delay Cabinet formation and then quits for reasons beyond our understanding.”

Asked what the next move would be following his meeting with Suleiman, Bassil said that there “are things that could happen to reach a settlement that is if we received positive signs in return.”

He said if Hariri, however, continued to hold on to the proposed Cabinet lineup “then we would not reach any solution.”

Saad Hariri appeared to have made up his mind to quit as prime minister-designate, but has decided to suspend his resignation at the request of the President, the Speaker and Druze leader Walid Jumblat.
An-Nahar newspaper on Thursday, citing officials from the majority March 14 coalition, said President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Jumblat have asked Hariri to suspend his resignation “to give talks with Opposition a final chance.”

Meanwhile, al-Akhbar daily said it has learned that Suleiman, Berri and Jumblat insist that Hariri does not bow out.

It said the three leaders aimed at keeping the door to negotiations open in an effort to reach a solution where every political party would name the minister it wants.

Hariri openly hinted during an iftar on Wednesday that he wanted to step down.

Nevertheless, Hariri revealed that he would take “decisive steps in the coming two or three days that are in the best interest of the country.”

BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said that while he was keen on having the opposition take part in the national unity cabinet he was in the process of forming, the opposition’s participation ought not to be governed by preconditions. “We want the minority to take part in the next cabinet but not according to its own conditions but rather in line with the [democratic] principle of majority and minority,” he said during an iftar banquet held at his residence in Qoreitem.

Hariri explained that that a minority does not “impose its conditions on the majority, or dictate what the majority is supposed to do.”

“We have extended our hand to the minority, expressed openness and willingness to form a national unity cabinet but this does not mean we have to do what they want,” he said.

“In all honesty, we reject this logic. I Saad Rafik Hariri will not accept this logic,” he said.

The premier-designate said he was not being “defiant, and I am not shutting the door in face of government formation.”

“It’s not the time for a defiant attitude, we don’t want to be defying each other we want to build a country,” he said.

“They have the right to make whatever request they want, but the electorate’s choices ought to be respected at the end of the day,” he added.

“If people endorsed their platform they would have voted for them,” Hariri said.

He added that the parliamentary majority “extended its hand to the majority despite all the huge sacrifices we made over the last few years.”

Concerning ongoing consultations on the formation of a government, Hariri said he hoped that a cabinet would see the light in 15 days before President Michel Sleiman heads to the United Nations General Assembly, which will open on September 15, to deliver Lebanon’s address.

“I can consult with whomever I want, but leave it for President Sleiman and myself to form the cabinet,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hariri had met caretaker Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil to pursue dialogue concerning the government.

On Monday, Sleiman hosted Hariri and Free patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to discuss government related issues.

Aoun, who travelled abroad, tasked his son-in-law Bassil with following up on talks with Hariri.

“As you know the government formation process still faces certain difficulties but we are determined to form a government that will serve the people’s interests,” Hariri told his visitors at the iftar.

In other news, Speaker Nabih Berri missed his weekly meting with President Sleiman at the Baabda Palace on Wednesday. Berri has refrained from commenting on the issue of the government in the past three weeks.
Later on Wednesday, Berri held talks with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt at his residence in Ain al-Tineh.

Following the meeting Jumblatt told reporters that it was necessary to boost Syrian-Saudi ties, “in order not to oppose Iran but to form a new government in Lebanon.”

Tackling the issue of the cabinet formation, the Council of Maronite Bishops issued a statement on Wednesday following their weekly meeting urging for a swift birth of the government.

“Love for the homeland requires an understanding among the Lebanese to face the dangers,” said the statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawq.

“They [officials] have to make up their minds and form a cabinet that would deal with Lebanese affairs first,” it added.

The bishops called on all groups to support Sleiman and to work together “to rebuild the state and face threats.”

“Sleiman has brought domestic leaders together to revive the role of state institutions to enhance Lebanon’s prosperity as well as its relations with other states and international organizations,” it added.

The statement said that continuous deadlock in Lebanon was forcing the Lebanese to emigrate. “Brain drain is a direct consequence of emigration,” the bishops added.

They said that a state of unrest in the country leads to sectarianism, “while political leaders are most likely pursuing their personal interests.”

The bishops, who held the meeting in the northern town of Diman, hailed the country’s ability to survive the global financial crisis. It also praised the success of the 2009 tourism season.

The statement also touched upon the bishops’ position on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“Israel’s right-wing government refuses to negotiate a fair settlement of the conflict,” they said.

In other government-related news, Lebanese Forces (LF) boss Samir Geagea said in an interview with the Central News Agency agency on Wednesday that it was “high time,” after 10 weeks of deliberations, for President Sleiman and Premier-designate Hariri “to form the new cabinet according to what they believe is suitable, but without excluding any party.”

“By now, the positions of all parties should be clear,” the LF leader added.

Geagea said that his party was not involved in bickering over the distribution of portfolios.

He also stressed that the LF’s “political weight is known to all,” adding that Christians within the March 14 alliance would be able to decide on their ministerial representation “during a five-minute meeting.”

Hariri Hits back At Israel: Hizbullah Will Participate in Government whether They Like it Or Not
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri struck back at Israel, warning that Hizbullah will be part of the new government “whether the enemy likes it or not.”
“I want to assure the Israeli enemy (…) that Hizbullah will be in the government, whether the enemy likes it or not, because the interests of the country require that we all take part in this government,” Hariri said during an Iftar to honor Beirut families at his residence in Qoreitem on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Lebanon over Hizbullah’s participation in the upcoming Cabinet, saying the Lebanese government would be held responsible for any military attempts by the Shiite group.

On the tit-for-tat over a Cabinet lineup, Hariri said that each political party is “entitled to take its own stances and submit its proposals, yet the formation process is constitutionally associated to the PM-designate in cooperation with the President.”

He stressed that consultations over Cabinet formation did not necessitate public statements but rather dialogue among the various political groups.

“I see a need for dialogue since matters that bring us together are far more than what divides us,” Hariri said.

The premier-designate insisted that he in keen on forming a national unity government to “strengthen the country and carry out the promises we made to the Lebanese citizens during the June 7 parliamentary elections.”

He highlighted the importance to meet people’s day-to-day needs concerning health care, power, water supplies and education.

Labib Chemali – In the latest round of negotiations to form Lebanon’s cabinet, things have continued to take an even uglier turn. Lead by Saadedine Hariri of the Future Movement, the March 14 coalition and their relative parliamentary majority was dealt a body blow weeks ago with the defection of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, leaving members of the March 14 coalition at each other’s throats in order to secure a bigger share of ministers for themselves.

To deflect attention from their unenviable position, the March 14 camp ramped up their vicious campaign of misinformation and leaving the problem on cabinet formation at the feet of MP Michel Aoun and rejecting that reformist Telecommunications Minister Gibran Bassil return as minister. It seems that Bassil’s performance the last 12 months as Telecommunications Minister has upset Hariri’s camp as he was able to reduce phone subscription costs and call rates for the consumer and while increasing income into the Government Treasury from Lebanon’s lucrative Telecommunications sector.

Such reforms are highlighting the corruption that has been institutionalised since the Future Movement former leader, then five time Prime Minister Rafic Hariri (Saadedine’s father) came to power in 1992. Since then Lebanon has fallen into $50 billion USD of public debt with not much to show for it.

The Hariris came to power in Lebanon on the back of a Saudi brokered agreement known as the Taef agreement in 1990; that strengthened the position of Prime Minister (held by a Sunni Muslim) at the expense of the Presidency (held by a Maronite Catholic) and was implemented militarily by Syria and Lebanese Militias (currently represented in the March 14 coalition) under the auspices of the United States who at the time needed Arab support for the first Gulf War.

In 2005, the Future Movement reversed its position on Syria’s occupation of Lebanon, rode the wave of anti Syrian sentiment despite clinging to a gerrymandered law introduced by the Syrians, aimed at the marginalisation of the Christians and managed to hold onto power. They allied with the Amal and Hizballa Parties (whom they accuse of being Pro Syrian) to get across on the back of Shiyite votes before turning on them too. This move was aimed at sidelining Michel Aoun, who was returning from his 15 year exile after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon( an exile that started when the Hariri family came to power). Aoun won 70% of the Christian votes and held a 21 seat bloc in Parliament.

The 2009 parliamentary elections saw the Saudis and the US take an active role both financially and logistically to keep the Future Movement afloat and helped it scrape through a majority at the expense of democracy; Aoun rebounded and increased the share of his Change and Reform Bloc to 27 Mp’s rendering it the largest Christian bloc in Parliament and second largest bloc overall.

The defection of Jumblatt has left Hariri without a parliamentary majority and after returning from a European holiday with his family while the country is without a government, he has resumed designation to form a cabinet. It seems however, that all eyes are on Aoun and how many ministries they can cheat the Free Patriotic Movement (Aoun’s party) out of in the next “National Unity Government”.

The leader of Lebanon’s Christians, with a Secular platform that draws popularity from all of Lebanon’s religious communities; Aoun’s presence on the Lebanese scene since the late 80’s as a defender of Lebanon’s Sovereignty and his drive for Change and Reform is seen as a threat by Lebanon’s ruling elite, or if you were to ask someone on the street, “Lebanon’s Mafiocrasy”.

There is little reason to see why he would draw the ire of the Future Movement and what is left of the March 14 coalition.

Despite purported links with Al Qaeda affiliated extremist Sunni groups, the Saudi backed Future Movement of Prime Minister Designate Saadedine Hariri is perceived as pro Western as they do not actively oppose the naturalization and permanent settlement of the half million plus Palestinian refugees in Lebanon at the expense of the Lebanese indigenous population. Such a move would be seen to serve Israel as it is absolved of the responsibility of the refugees that resulted from its creation (and in contravention of United Nations Security Council Resolution 194); Saudi Arabia would also see benefits as such a move would tilt Lebanon’s delicate demographic balance of 3.5 million people in favor of the Sunni sect since the Palestinian refugees are primarily Sunni Muslim.

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia are the United State’s major allies in the Middle East.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri has taken a holiday to “think and reflect” after a once close ally quit his anti-Syria coalition in a move expected to delay the formation of a new government.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s departure from Hariri’s “March 14″ alliance this week has redrawn Lebanon’s political map and undermined the coalition’s June parliamentary election victory over rivals including the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Hariri, a Saudi- and U.S.-backed billionaire businessman, had been expected to conclude talks this week on the formation of a coalition government grouping his alliance with parties allied to Syria, including Hezbollah and the Amal movement.

But he left the country Monday night for a holiday, his media office said. The trip aimed to give Hariri a chance to “think and reflect calmly,” according to a statement released after a meeting of MPs from his Future Movement.

Hariri wanted to “take some real distance from the heat of the debate over the political make-up of March 14 and likewise the consultations over the government formation,” it said.

Hariri, 39, had reached agreement last week on the division of cabinet seats, splitting the portfolios between his alliance, the rival “March 8″ alliance and a group of ministers to be named by President Michel Suleiman.

But Jumblatt has said the three ministers he is expected to be allocated in the 30-seat cabinet will be aligned with neither March 14 or March 8, the coalitions whose rivalry has defined Lebanese politics since the 2005 assassination of Hariri’s father, former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri.

He told Lebanese television station MTV that he would ally himself with Suleiman, who was elected president last year as a consensus candidate.

The change in his position is seen linked to an end to Syria’s isolation by many Western governments and rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Syria, whose rivalry has been seen at the heart of Lebanon’s turmoil since the Hariri killing.

Jumblatt’s announcement has dealt a major blow to March 14, which won a parliamentary majority in a legislative election two months ago. Without his bloc of 11 MPs, March 14 no longer has an absolute majority in the 128-seat parliament.

Nabih Berri, parliament speaker and one of Syria’s closest allies in Lebanon, told as-Safir newspaper he feared a delay in the government formation. “It is very necessary that contacts be accelerated,” he said.

The Beirut stock exchange fell for a second day in response to the political outlook. The BLOM index fell 2.8 percent, dragged down by real estate firm Solidere. Its shares dipped more than 6 percent.

Jumblatt had been one of the most hawkish figures in the March 14 alliance, which coalesced after the Hariri killing with an agenda focused on ending Syrian influence in Lebanon.

(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)