Contacts over the past two days have indicated that the political parties are willing to show flexibility in order to reach a settlement in the cabinet formation process, especially regarding the distribution of the so-called sovereign portfolios and some important and service-related portfolios, a media report said on Sunday.
“Speaker Nabih Berri may have informed Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri of his final demands regarding the portfolios he is seeking as well as the names of his candidates, knowing that it has become almost certain that the finance portfolio will stay with Minister Ali Hassan Khalil,” An Nahar newspaper reported.
The foreign affairs and interior portfolios will stay with Jebran Bassil and Nouhad al-Mashnouq, it said.
“Accordingly, a settlement over the Lebanese Forces’ request to get a sovereign portfolio is hinging on the issue of the defense ministerial portfolio,” the daily added.
“According to information obtained in the evening, the parties are mulling a solution that would give the LF three key portfolios – justice, telecommunications and energy – as well as a portfolio for a pro-LF Armenian figure, in return for giving up its demand to get a sovereign portfolio,” An Nahar said.
Lebanon
