Lebanon likely to have new govt by Christmas: Minister

We are in the last phase and it is probable that the government will be formed before the Christmas holiday Ali Hassan Khalil, Lebanon Finance Minister

beirut — Lebanon will probably have a new national unity government in place before next week’s Christmas holiday, the finance minister said on Tuesday, raising hopes for an end to more than seven months of deadlock over cabinet posts.

Efforts to form the new government have been obstructed by rival groups’ conflicting demands for seats in a cabinet that must be formed in line with a finely balanced, sectarian political system.

A source close to Prime Minister-designate Saad Al Hariri told Reuters there was “reasonable cause for optimism” and the Hariri-owned Al Mustaqbal newspaper reported, “The road to the government has become open to a very large degree”.

Heavily indebted and suffering from a stagnant economy, Lebanon is in dire need of an administration that can set about longstalled economic reforms to put public debt on a sustainable footing. “We are in the last phase and

it is probable that the government will be formed before the Christmas holiday,” Ali Hassan Khalil, the finance minister, told Reuters. “This will leave a positive impact on the financial and economic situation and open the way for a start to dealing this file,” he added.—