Lebanon’s leaders provide mixed messages on Cabinet

Lebanese President Michel Aoun insisted yesterday that a solution would be found to end more than six months of deadlock about forming a unity government.

But in a televised speech just a few hours later, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggested his group would not budge on a key demand.

Hezbollah, a Shiite ally of the president and the main rival of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, wants Mr Hariri to give a Cabinet seat to one of its Sunni allies – a demand he has rejected.

Lebanon’s parties have been locked in a dispute since May’s elections, jockeying for important Cabinet portfolios and the number of seats given to each group.

Mr Hariri’s allies have accused Hezbollah of deliberately stalling the formation of a Cabinet to undermine the prime minister.

Lebanon was warned that it needs to quickly form a government to pass muchneeded reforms as its economy is on the verge of collapse.

Mr Aoun said no effort would be spared to resolve the country’s political crisis.

“The matter requires bravery and patience to reach the end but we will find the solution because waiting is a waste of time,” he said.

But Mr Nasrallah said Hezbollah would continue to support its Sunni allies and stand by any decision they made about their participation in government.

“We have stood by them and will continue to do so, for one year, two years, or even until the end of days,” he said.

Mr Nasrallah responded to accusations that his group was blocking progress by saying that it had raised the demand for Sunni representation in talks five months ago, denying that it was a lastminute snag.

Hours before his speech, a statement from Hezbollah claimed Mr Nasrallah met Mr Aoun’s son-in-law and close adviser Gebran Bassil to discuss the formation of a government and efforts “to resolve the complications”.

Mr Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement, a party established by Mr Aoun, said on Friday that he had “started to work on a solution” to the problem of Sunni representation.

A political system established after Lebanon’s 15-year civil war entrenched the need to ensure a sectarian balance in a country of 18 official sects, meaning it could take months or years to agree on a government.

It has the third highest debtto-GDP ratio in the world. Forming a government would unlock money pledged by the international community in April to help the struggling economy. It would also make available other loans from the World Bank.