 Lebanon is set to remain without a government for the foreseeable future after Prime Minister-designate Omar Karami suspended negotiations for a new cabinet and retreated to his hometown of Tripoli. As Lebanon prepares to mark the anniversary of the start of its 15-year bloody civil war with a celebration of national unity, the latest failure to form a government sounds the final death knell for seeing parliamentary elections held on time next month.
| I think that was the intention, wasn't it? |
Sources in the government said that Karami refused to continue consultations following the collapse of Monday's talks because he was angered at the lack of unity among his allies in the Ain al-Tineh loyalist gathering. State Minister Albert Mansour, a close ally of Karami, held last minute talks with Speaker Nabih Berri yesterday afternoon in an attempt to end the impasse which has left Lebanon without a working government since February 28 when Prime Minister Karami resigned in the face of huge street demonstrations. But the meeting failed to bridge the differences which have emerged in the loyalist camp and are centered on distribution of ministerial posts in the new government. Lebanon's opposition is widely favored to win next month's scheduled elections and many believe the outgoing loyalist Cabinet wants to delay elections in a bid to gain time and weaken the opposition.
| Reeeeaaaalllly? Nobody ever woulda guessed that! |
Opposition MP Hagop Kassardjian, an ally of Karami's popular predecessor, slain Premier Rafik Hariri whose killing in February rocked the country and crippled the state's institutions, said: "This play's scenes are known to everyone, its actors are extremely skilled and its plot is to arrive at a political crisis and cancel the parliamentary elections."
| Subtle as a sledgehammer, ain't they? |
Beirut MP Ghazi Aridi, a close ally of opposition leader and Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt, added: "This is a scheme to postpone the elections." Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss, who heads the National Action Forum, which is not aligned to either the loyalist or opposition camps, said people were "disgusted" by politicians quarrelling over key ministerial posts.
| Apparently they regard them as worth quarrelling over, which means they expect to keep them... |
While sources close to the consultations said Karami was considering quitting the premiership, other sources said nothing has been decided and insisted that Karami did not vacate his offices as was reported in some media. The failure to form a government is understood to now come down to the fact that former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh is eyeing the Health Ministry's portfolio, a post which Speaker Berri wants to secure for one of his allies. Meanwhile, outgoing Minister for the displaced Talal Arslan said he wanted the Public Works and Transport Ministry, which is now in the hands of a Berri ally. |