Seniora Agrees with Lahoud on Cabinet of 24 Non-Partisan Technocrats
Premier-Designate Fouad Seniora announced Thursday that he has agreed with President Lahoud on forming a government of non-partisan technocrats from without the newly elected parliament to lead Lebanon out of the political, economic and security instability left by the downfall of Syria's reign.
Seniora said from the press rostrum of the Baabda Presidential Palace the agreement on the extra-parliamentarian government was reached during 35 minutes of talks with the president at mid-morning, scrapping a 30-minister cabinet lineup that was vetoed by Lahoud, Gen. Aoun, Hizbullah and Speaker Berri's Amal Movement.
Seniora was all smiles when he made the announcement, saying the extra-parliamentary cabinet was his 'first initial and favorite choice' before having to get entangled in tedious negotiations with the major blocs produced by the May-June elections of the new parliament.
The new cabinet, Seniora said, would be made up of 24 specialized ministers and pledged to put it together "very soon."
The announcement confirmed an 8-column banner-line that roared across An Nahar's page-one, saying "Seniora to Propose a Government of Technocrats or Bow Out."
Seniora is unshakably bent on a government that can reign without anyone or any coalition of minorities controlling the so-called 'subversive one third' of the cabinet seats with which to veto resolutions by the Council of Ministers.
He is backed by the March 14 anti-Syria alliance of Saad Hariri's Tayyar Al Mustaqbal, Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party, Qornet Shahwan and Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces. The quadripartite alliance controls at least 72 votes in the 128-member parliament, which assures the premier-designate a comfortable majority to rule.
Gen Aoun has accused Seniora and majority leader Saad Hariri of reneging on an accord they worked out with him during his Koreitem visit on Sunday that his 21-strong parliamentary bloc would take four active portfolios if the new cabinet is made up of 24 ministers, adding a state minister without portfolio if the cabinet is enlarged to 30 ministers.
Aoun told a new conference at his Rabieh Mansion Wednesday that he would not let the majority to strip the minorities from the so-called 'subversive one third' in the Council of Ministers.
"There is a game to control the two thirds," Aoun told An Nahar, asserting that "there is a conversion of interests, not an accord, between us and Hizbullah and Amal. Amongst us we constitute one third of the nation. Nevertheless we are not allowed to get the subversive one third of the cabinet."
Hariri's Al Mustaqbal newspaper said overnight contacts had removed Hizbullah's objection to Seniora's enlarged cabinet lineup, which resulted from the premier-designate's failure to consult in advance with the Party of God over the addition of six ministers to the original 24-minister cabinet lineup. But this report could not be independently verified.
Seniora said from the press rostrum of the Baabda Presidential Palace the agreement on the extra-parliamentarian government was reached during 35 minutes of talks with the president at mid-morning, scrapping a 30-minister cabinet lineup that was vetoed by Lahoud, Gen. Aoun, Hizbullah and Speaker Berri's Amal Movement.
Seniora was all smiles when he made the announcement, saying the extra-parliamentary cabinet was his 'first initial and favorite choice' before having to get entangled in tedious negotiations with the major blocs produced by the May-June elections of the new parliament.
The new cabinet, Seniora said, would be made up of 24 specialized ministers and pledged to put it together "very soon."
The announcement confirmed an 8-column banner-line that roared across An Nahar's page-one, saying "Seniora to Propose a Government of Technocrats or Bow Out."
Seniora is unshakably bent on a government that can reign without anyone or any coalition of minorities controlling the so-called 'subversive one third' of the cabinet seats with which to veto resolutions by the Council of Ministers.
He is backed by the March 14 anti-Syria alliance of Saad Hariri's Tayyar Al Mustaqbal, Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party, Qornet Shahwan and Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces. The quadripartite alliance controls at least 72 votes in the 128-member parliament, which assures the premier-designate a comfortable majority to rule.
Gen Aoun has accused Seniora and majority leader Saad Hariri of reneging on an accord they worked out with him during his Koreitem visit on Sunday that his 21-strong parliamentary bloc would take four active portfolios if the new cabinet is made up of 24 ministers, adding a state minister without portfolio if the cabinet is enlarged to 30 ministers.
Aoun told a new conference at his Rabieh Mansion Wednesday that he would not let the majority to strip the minorities from the so-called 'subversive one third' in the Council of Ministers.
"There is a game to control the two thirds," Aoun told An Nahar, asserting that "there is a conversion of interests, not an accord, between us and Hizbullah and Amal. Amongst us we constitute one third of the nation. Nevertheless we are not allowed to get the subversive one third of the cabinet."
Hariri's Al Mustaqbal newspaper said overnight contacts had removed Hizbullah's objection to Seniora's enlarged cabinet lineup, which resulted from the premier-designate's failure to consult in advance with the Party of God over the addition of six ministers to the original 24-minister cabinet lineup. But this report could not be independently verified.
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