Nabih Berri addresses Parliament on May 25. (Credit: Nabil Ismaïl)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is getting ready to launch a new initiative to break the government formation deadlock. For the first time in weeks, the conditions surrounding the cabinet formation process appear more conducive to real progress.
The Amal Movement leader has been laying the groundwork for this since the beginning of May.
In a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during his visit to Beirut, Berri insisted on the need to bring together President Michel Aoun and Premier-designate Saad Hariri and urge them to agree on a cabinet lineup of 24 ministers, with no political party retaining a “blocking third” — effective veto power — in the future government.
Le Drian told Berri that the cabinet formation details were not his business and that it was up to the Parliament speaker to take care of this issue.
“Berri replied that any initiative he would come up with would be rejected at once by the president of the republic,” a close associate of the Parliament head said.
Except, this time, Berri appears to be supported in his attempt by two local heavyweights. In fact, he is concocting his initiative in coordination with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai and has the support of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Notably, during a televised speech on Tuesday, Nasrallah counseled Hariri and Aoun to seek Berri’s assistance to break the government deadlock.
“The Aounist camp insisted that Nasrallah take its side against Berri. Hezbollah, however, preferred to place itself as an arbiter between Aoun and Hariri, while supporting its Shiite ally,” a source close to Hezbollah said.
Gebran Bassil reprimanded ‘away from prying eyes’
Berri appears to have bounced back when Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil failed to get rid of Hariri through Parliament. It was in his own arena that the legislature’s head retook control of things.
On Saturday, MPs appeared to symbolically renew their support of Hariri to form the government.
Parliament had convened in response to an official letter sent by Aoun to Berri, in which the president considered “Hariri incapable of forming the government,” calling for measures to be taken to redress the situation.
Sources close to the Baabda Presidential Palace denied that the president’s letter aimed to push the premier-designate to step down, arguing instead that it was meant to prompt him to form a cabinet — a message Bassil was very keen on stressing during his intervention in the parliamentary session.
“Berri had advised Aoun against sending the letter, saying it would further complicate matters. But Aoun did what he wanted,” Berri’s close associate said.
Berri made sure to leave the floor for Hariri to conclude the session. The Sunni leader took the opportunity to deliver a vehement speech against the president. Bassil, however, was not allowed to get carried away in his discourse.
“Berri made a joke out of us. He did everything to give the impression of a victory for Hariri,” an official from the Free Patriotic Movement said disapprovingly.
The president’s son-in-law also spoke from his seat, while Hariri was invited to speak from the parliamentary platform.
For Berri, the goal was to send a clear message to Aoun that it was impossible for him to get rid of Hariri, who is backed by the two Shiite parties.
On the sidelines of the session, Berri met with Bassil and several other MPs from the FPM’s bloc.
The source close to the Parliament speaker said, “Berri told Bassil he was responsible for 80 percent of the government deadlock and that he needed to change his behavior.”
“When he saw Berri going in that direction, Bassil asked his MPs to step aside so he could be reprimanded away from prying eyes,” the source added.
Berri later reportedly made it clear to Bassil that there was no alternative to Hariri, and that former MP and Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Joumblatt and Hezbollah were of the same opinion.
The Parliament head also made sure to relay a message to his Sunni partner, [i.e., Hariri], whom he considers responsible for 20 percent of the government deadlock.
Berri requested the premier-designate to draft a new cabinet lineup of 24 ministers and to hand it to the president.
According to the source close to Berri, the latter told Hariri, “If Aoun approves the cabinet lineup, the government will be formed. Otherwise, the president has to take responsibility for any persisting stalemate until an agreement is reached.”
Hariri said he would prepare the list of ministers in the coming days and would visit Baabda afterward.
Rai’s discontent
The Maronite patriarch, who is also a major player in this issue, is deeply annoyed with Hariri, whom he met behind closed doors before Eid al-Fitr [in mid-May]. Both men agreed on the need to draft a cabinet lineup and present it to Aoun.
“Rai promised Hariri to pressure Aoun afterward,” a source close to Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Church, said.
The Future Movement’s head, however, did not keep his promise, which angered Rai.
During his Sunday sermon, Rai called on the premier-designate to make way for someone else if he was unable to form a government.
Tensions eased when the two men later met and agreed to take the measures necessary to break the deadlock.
The ball is now in Hariri’s court, and he is expected to head to Baabda in the coming days with a new cabinet lineup in his hand.
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who met with Berri on Tuesday evening, spoke with the premier-designate, who confirmed that he will be visiting the president soon.
“If there is a serious effort to form a government, Hariri [who left Lebanon shortly after the Parliament session] will quickly return to Beirut. But the problem is still the same. Michel Aoun wants a government of 24 ministers, and to retain the blocking third and name the interior minister,” Mustafa Allouch, the Future Movement’s vice president, said.
“Will Aoun be ready to show more flexibility? If so, the government would be formed in a matter of hours,” he added.
Berri’s efforts are mainly directed at reaching an agreement on the two contested Christian ministers who would take up the interior and justice portfolios.
Hariri could propose a list of names from which Aoun could either choose an interior minister or a justice minister, or vice versa. In other words, if Hariri wants to choose the name of one of the two ministers, he would have to pick a name from a list proposed by Aoun.
The president, for his part, appears ready to give this proposal a shot.
However, this is not the first time that all concerned parties have gone behind the scenes to try to end the deadlock, only for hopes to be quickly dashed in the aftermath.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Sahar Ghoussoub.
