Report: Participation of FPM and Hizbullah in Cabinet Uncertain

The Free Patriotic Movement is said to take escalatory measures and resign from the cabinet if it finds out that activating the government's work is only meant to postpone the presidential election, An Nahar daily said on Monday.

“We have fears that the issue of military appointments might be intentionally obstructed as a reaction to the candidacy of Aoun,” FPM sources told the daily.

“The FPM might take escalatory measures and could even resign form the government if it finds out that the goal from reactivating the cabinet's work aims at postponing indefinitely the presidential polls,” they added.

Last week, Prime Minister Salam called the cabinet to session with 379 items on its agenda to be discussed on February 8.

On the other hand, As Safir newspaper said that “an understanding has been reached with founder of the FPM Michel Aoun and that he has agreed to let ministers of the movement along with Hizbullah's to attend the session in light of an agreement reached on the military appointments that took his demands into consideration.

“The return of the ministers is not linked to the fate of the position of army commander, which will see the end of the term of its current head, Gen. Jean Qahwaji, in September,” added As Safir.

For his part, Salam stated that he has not been informed of any understanding regarding the thorny file of military appointments, noting that he will not include any controversial item on the agenda unless all parties agree on it, according to An Nahar.

Disputes over the military appointments and the cabinet’s decision-making mechanism have been the main reasons hampering the government’s work.

Ministers of the FPM and Hizbullah have been boycotting the meetings over demands to appoint specific figures in the military council.

Three military council posts, reserved for a Shiite, a Greek Orthodox and a Catholic, have been vacant for the past two years.

D.A.

G.K.