The designated Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam (right), received by the President of Parliament Nabih Berry in Ain al-Tineh, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Credit: Hassan Ibrahim/Flickr account of Parliament)
Following non-binding parliamentary consultations, designated Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he is confident he will soon be able to form a new government. He made the remark after a meeting at Baabda Presidential Palace with newly elected President Joseph Aoun. During the day, Salam also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Beirut on a brief visit.
"I informed President Aoun of the results of the consultations with the parliamentary groups. The atmosphere is more than positive, and the government formation process is progressing in the right direction. I will announce the names of the ministers of the new cabinet soon," Salam said after his meeting at Baabda. "We will know the position of the parliament speaker on the government once the composition is finalized," he added, according to a statement from Baabda.
Regarding his meeting with Macron, whom he reportedly met at the Residence des Pins in Beirut, Salam said he pressed the French president "for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israel."
'The international community must exert pressure'
"Any delay threatens the stability of the country," Salam continued. "The entire international community must exert pressure in this regard." According to a statement from Baabda, Salam said he would make the same request to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who began a two-day visit to Lebanon on Thursday evening.
The two men reportedly met on Friday and are expected to meet again on Saturday, according to an agenda provided by the U.N. ahead of Guterres' visit.
Earlier in the day, Salam met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain al-Tineh following two days of parliamentary consultations, which were boycotted by the Shiite parties Hezbollah and Amal. After their meeting, the designated prime minister stated that, contrary to what some might think, "the parliamentary consultations did not end yesterday [Thursday], as I completed them today," adding that "there is no other choice but consensus." For his part, Berri described his meeting with Salam as "promising."
Quick turnaround
Commenting on the consultations’ outcomes, Salam stressed that “all parliamentary blocs agree that the country needs a rapid recovery and that efforts should be made to save it, a task to which I am committed.”
“I will work 24 hours a day to save the country and will not allow any procrastination or failure in forming the government,” Salam vowed. He also emphasized that he and Berri agreed on the importance of adhering to the constitution and the Taif Agreement. Salam assured that “there will be no distribution of portfolios or appointment of ministers without coordination and agreement with President Joseph Aoun.”
Asked in Baabda whether the Shiite Amal-Hezbollah blocs would be included in the new government, Nawaf Salam simply replied that it would need time. When asked if the process of forming a new executive to replace that of Najib Mikati, who resigned in May 2022, had been delayed, Salam said it had just been appointed. He noted that the formation of previous governments had taken "7, 11 or 12 months." He concluded, "It won't be late ... I'll be working around the clock, which means there will be a plan to form the government as soon as possible."
Salam concluded his second day of non-binding parliamentary consultations on Thursday, part of his efforts to form a new government. His meeting with Berri, the leader of the Amal Movement, was announced Wednesday after Hezbollah and Amal MPs abstained from Monday’s binding consultations that led to Salam’s appointment.
According to political observers, the future Cabinet formation largely hinges on this meeting. The discussion between Salam and Berri reportedly focused on addressing grievances stemming from Salam’s nomination, which occurred without support from Hezbollah or Amal MPs.
Finally, speaking in Baabda about his exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron, Salam indicated that Lebanon was counting on France's support, not only through the international reconstruction conference announced later in the day by Macron but also to revive the projects discussed at the CEDRE conference. That meeting, held in Paris in April 2018 under Saad Hariri's government, saw donor countries and organizations commit $11 billion. However, those funds were never released, as the reforms Lebanon's leaders were asked to implement in exchange were never carried out.
