France backs Hariri proposal to break cabinet deadlock

The former prime minister has suggested an independent Shiite candidate to head up the contested finance ministry

Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri has proposed an independent Shiite candidate to lead the finance ministry as a way to end the political deadlock that has stopped the country from forming a new government. Dalati Nohra via APShow less

France on Wednesday backed a proposal from Lebanon's former prime minister and leading Sunni politician, Saad Hariri that aims to put an end to the political deadlock that has stopped the country from forming a new government.
Lebanon has been stuck at an impasse trying to form a new cabinet that is in line with French President Emmanuel Macron's roadmap for the country with Shiite duo Hezbollah and the Amal movement insisting they retain control of the finance ministry.
Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is in favour of rotating the ministries between sects.
The Christian Hezbollah-allied Free Patriotic Movement proposed giving the key ministries to the minority sects rather than dividing them between Sunni, Shia and Maronite.
After US sanctions were slapped on head of the Amal movement Nabih Berri and his closest aid, as well as Hezbollah allies and two former cabinet ministers earlier this month, the Shiite parties have refused to relinquish control over the sovereign ministry.

Mr Hariri and three other former PMs were staunchly against the idea of Hezbollah and Amal retaining the ministry, saying that no ministry was exclusively reserved for a certain sect.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Hariri moved slightly against this position and proposed that Mr Adib name an "independent" Shi'ite candidate to head up the finance portfolio.
He stressed that his new position on the issue does not mean he endorses any sect having exclusive right over any ministry.
"I have decided to help Prime Minister Adib to find a way out by naming an independent finance minister from the Shiite sect to be chosen by him, like the other ministers on the basis of efficiency, integrity and without partisan affiliation," his statement said.

An anti-government protester uses a tennis racket to return a tear gas canister towards riot police near Parliament Square in Beirut on September 1. AP

An anti-government protester throws a stone towards riot police during a protest near Parliament Square. AP

An anti-government protester uses a slingshot to launch a stone towards Lebanese riot police. AP

Riot policemen beat anti-government protesters near Parliament Square. AP

Anti-government protesters try to break open a metal barrier blocking the road to parliament on Sept 1, 2020. AP

Anti-government protesters try to break open a metal barrier blocking the road to parliament on Sept 1, 2020. AP

Anti-government protesters throw stones at a police car near Parliament Square on Sept 1. AP

Activists help anti-government protesters after being beaten by riot policemen near Parliament Square. AP

Riot policemen beat anti-government protesters during a protest near Parliament Square. AP

Activists help an anti-government protester with her tear gas mask covered in blood after being beaten by riot policemen near Parliament Square. AP

An anti-government protester throws a stone towards riot police during a protest near Parliament Square. AP

Anti-government protesters throw stones towards police near Parliament Square. AP

French President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain meet the military mobilised to help to rebuild the port of Beirut. AP via pool

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) arrives with Lebanese MP Ali Hassan Khalil to meet with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad at Al Shaab Palace in Damascus in 2008. AFP, File

Then Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil arriving at the parliament in the Lebanese capital Beirut in 2018. AFP, file

Then Labour Minister Youssef Fenianos arriving at the parliament in the Lebanese capital Beirut in 2018. AFP, File

The day before Mr Hariri's announcement, President Michel Aoun failed to break the impasse by proposing the abolition of the sectarian division of the four sovereign ministries - finance, interior, defence and foreign affairs.
The finance ministry has been run by a Shiite, chosen by the head of Amal, for several years.
It is not immediately clear how Amal or Hezbollah will respond to Mr Hariri's proposal, but pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al Akhbar was critical of the news. 
The French Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called Mr Hariri's position a "courageous declaration".
Three former Lebanese prime ministers distanced themselves from Mr Hariri's decision. "The initiative put forward by [former] Prime Minister Saad Hariri is a personal initiative," Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tamam Salam said in a statement. "After the contrived uproar over the finance ministry portfolio, we consider ourselves not bound by this initiative."

France said on Tuesday that Lebanon risked collapse if politicians did not form a cabinet quickly. Earlier this week, President Aoun said Lebanon was "headed for hell" without the quick formation of government.
Despite missing the French deadline to form a cabinet last week, a French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris is still pressing Lebanese politicians to form a new government in a "reasonable timeframe" but has not fixed a new deadline after the last one in mid-September was missed.
"This declaration represents an opening and all parties should understand its importance so that a government of mission can now be established," the French Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
In the midst of economic collapse, Lebanon's now-caretaker government had previously refused to put in place basic anti-corruption reforms to unlock negotiations and desperately needed money from the International Monetary Fund.
The August 4 explosion only served to exacerbate poverty levels that have risen exponentially with the collapsing currency, pandemic-induced business closures and hyperinflation.