Report: Equal Distribution of Sovereign Portfolios among March 8, 14 Camps Suggested for Govt.
The latest efforts to form a new government have resulted in the proposal to distribute the four sovereign portfolios equally between the March 8 and 14 camps, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.
It said that the March 8 camp will be granted the foreign and finance ministries, while the March 14 camp will be granted the defense and interior ministries.
The Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun will be given the foreign ministry along with a services portfolio.
The telecommunication and energy ministries will be handed over to President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam.
A main obstacle in the formation of the new cabinet has been the FPM's refusal to relinquish the energy and telecommunications ministries, currently held by caretaker Ministers Jebran Bassil and Nicolas Sehnaoui respectively.
Widely-informed sources told As Safir newspaper that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat had spearheaded the efforts over the distribution of sovereign portfolios.
Salam, former Premier Saad Hariri, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Hizbullah all agreed to the suggestion.
The party had however set as a condition Aoun's agreement to the proposal before going ahead with it.
Bassil had rejected on Thursday relinquishing the Energy Ministry from the grasp of the FPM.
The sources revealed that Suleiman had suggested to Salam that he resolve this matter, explaining that he cannot sanction any development that the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki would view as a “squandering of Christian rights,” reported As Safir.
The rival political powers had reportedly reached agreement to form a 24-member government that grants each of the March 8 and 14 camps and centrists eight ministers.
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