Deal on Distribution of Shares Threatened over Disagreement on Interior Minister’s Affiliation
A deal to form a 30-member cabinet in which the March 8 forces would get 19 ministers, while 11 ministers would be allotted to the president, the premier-designate and the Progressive Socialist Party, is now under threat after the dispute over the interior ministry portfolio did not abate.
March 14 sources told An Nahar daily in remarks published Monday that practically March 8 would get 20 ministers while the remaining 10 would go to President Michel Suleiman, PM-designate Najib Miqati and PSP leader Walid Jumblat.
After agreement between Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on nominating retired Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Marwan Charbel for the interior ministry post, the head of state asked for another Maronite minister as part of his share in the new cabinet believing that Charbel is part of Aoun’s share and fearing that his team would lose its veto power if it only gets 10 ministers.
Aoun’s circles confirmed to al-Akhbar newspaper that Suleiman has asked for the second Maronite minister under the pretext that Charbel is pro-FPM.
They also blamed Miqati for Suleiman’s alleged pressure on Aoun, saying the prime minister-designate forced the FPM chief into making several compromises and when he agreed to nominate Charbel for the post, Miqati began withdrawing the consensual nomination for claiming that the retired Maj. Gen is Aounist.
Meanwhile, sources following up the formation of the cabinet said no contacts were made in the past few days between the different parties, hinting that inter-March 8 relations had deteriorated.
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