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Suleiman Hails Swap Deal As Incentive To Form Cabinet

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  • Suleiman Hails Swap Deal As Incentive To Form Cabinet

    SULEIMAN HAILS SWAP DEAL AS INCENTIVE TO FORM CABINET

    Aljazeera.com
    02/07/2008 08:53:16 AM GMT
    UK

    Lebanon prepares to receive liberated Lebanese citizens within two
    weeks as the new government of national unity seems unachievable at
    least at ...

    Lebanon prepares to receive liberated Lebanese citizens within two
    weeks as the new government of national unity seems unachievable at
    least at the time being.

    While consultations between rival political parties are still ongoing
    in a bid to reach a breakthrough that would end the cabinet crisis,
    no progress seems to have been made. Instead, the focus has shifted
    to the swap deal between Hezbollah and the Zionist entity through
    a German mediator, a deal that was welcomed by different political
    parties that hoped it would constitute an entry to real national unity.

    In this context, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman hailed the
    resistance, saying that it has fulfilled a big national achievement
    that guarantees the return of Lebanese detainees, one of whom has
    spent decades in Israeli prisons, in a signal to Samir Kintar.

    Suleiman stressed this achievement confirms the Lebanese
    unified national will of defending their land, sovereignty and
    independence. "It also proves that undermining the Lebanese humane
    issue, particularly those who fell martyrs while defending the
    territory and whose families are still waiting for their bodies until
    this moment, is unacceptable."

    Suleiman expressed hope that the detainees' issue should constitute
    the incentive to accelerate the cabinet formation in order to consider
    other outstanding issues in the country.

    For his part, the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt
    said that the return of Lebanese detainees from Israel is a national
    occasion that should bring people together. "I hope it will have a
    similar effect on other issues," he told Lebanese daily As-Safir.

    On Monday, the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP
    Michel Aoun also hailed the deal, congratulating the resistance on
    the imminent release of Samir Kintar and other detainees. "(Hezbollah
    Secretary General) Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah told me in July 2006 that
    the ultimate end of the resistance operation was the liberation of
    detainees in Israel," he said.

    MP Saad Hariri also welcomed the deal and called for the event to be
    "an occasion for national unity." He issued a statement on Monday
    praising the move to end "long years of injustice, suffering and
    oppression in the prisons of the Israeli enemy," adding that it was an
    "important achievement for Lebanon and its international friends."

    SOURCES REVEAL NEW PROPOSALS OVER GOV'T FORMATION Meanwhile,
    new proposals concerning the government formation were reportedly
    circulated in the last few hours.

    The pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat quoted official sources as saying that
    Suleiman has demanded the intervention of the head of Marada Movement
    former minister Suleiman Franjieh and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
    in an effort to break the deadlock over the cabinet make-up.

    The daily said an offer was made by Franjieh followed by another
    one made by Berri's political aide MP Ali Hasan Khalil suggesting
    that General Aoun gets three portfolios instead of fourâÂ~@Â"
    telecommunica tions, public works and industry âÂ~@Â" plus a state
    minister.

    The offer suggests that an Armenian minister affiliated with Aoun's
    parliamentary bloc would be given a state minister post and Issam
    Abu Jamra (from Aoun's bloc) would make a grab for deputy premier.

    Al Hayat said the offer was conveyed to Aoun through Suleiman's circles
    and not via Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora who was said to have
    "frozen" contacts with Aoun, leaving the President to pursue the issue.

    But Suleiman, backed by some key loyalty figures, is pressuring to
    approve Aoun demands, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported. The paper said
    there seems to be a tendency to meet Aoun's demands despite objection
    by some loyalty Christians, namely Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.

    It added the deal, if accepted, would give Aoun's bloc the deputy
    premier post plus the ministries of telecommunications and public
    works, while stripping him of the social affairs portfolio which will
    likely go to a Christian from the loyalty bloc. According to Al-Akhbar,
    there is a possibility that the government be announced in 24 hours
    if this deal was approved.

    --Boundary_(ID_lVVmB6fp2dw23vqHjzXFKw)- -
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