Nawaf Salam’s Cabinet: first names begin to emerge

“Things are moving in the right direction,” a source close to the ongoing negotiations to form a Cabinet told L’Orient-Le Jour. The visit of Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan, who is expected in Beirut in the next few days, should give a boost to the negotiations. The names of some ministerial candidates are even beginning to emerge.For the time being, however, the hurdle of keeping the Finance Ministry in the hands of the Shiite Amal-Hezbollah tandem remains. This issue is expected to be raised at a forthcoming meeting between Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and representatives of Amal and Hezbollah, namely Mohammad Raad, Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khali, in a bid to put an end to this soap opera. Meanwhile, certain elements are beginning to take shape in the wake of the last meeting held between President Joseph Aoun and...