Sources reveal likely members of incoming Lebanon gov't

By Edward Haddad

BEIRUT

After months of political wrangling, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, leader of Lebanon’s Future Movement (21 out of 128 seats in parliament), is expected to finally unveil his new cabinet lineup within days.

It will be the second Lebanese government to be drawn up under President Michel Aoun.

According to the terms of the 1989 Taif Accord, which ended Lebanon’s destructive civil war (1975-1989), cabinet portfolios are shared between the country’s main ethno-religious groupings, with six portfolios reserved for Sunnis, six for Shias, and three for Druze.

Since May 6 parliamentary polls, however, the process has faced repeated delays amid mutual recriminations between Lebanon’s leading political forces and demands by certain parties for greater representation in the incoming government.

Well-informed political sources tell Anadolu Agency that Hariri’s cabinet appointees will likely be as follows:

Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party, will take the foreign affairs portfolio.

Elias Abu Saab, an Orthodox Christian, will take the defense portfolio.

Mohamed Makkawi of Hariri’s Future Movement (Sunni) will be appointed minister of the interior.

Ali Hassan Khalil of the Amal movement (Shia) will be given the finance portfolio.

Mohammed Shakir of the Future Movement will be appointed communications minister.

Mustafa Alloush of the Future Movement will be appointed minister of displaced people’s affairs.

Violette Khairallah Safadi of the Future Movement will be appointed minister of state.

Adel Afyoni of the Future Movement will be given an as-yet-undetermined cabinet portfolio.

Meanwhile, President Aoun, with the support of the Free Patriotic Movement, has nominated Pierre Raffoul for minister of state for presidential affairs; Saleh al-Gharib for minister of state; Salim Gritsati for justice minister; and Nada Bustani for energy and water minister.

Two portfolios -- those of information and economy -- still remain up for grabs, said the sources, according to whom Owadis Kedidian will be appointed tourism minister.

Further, Ghassan Hasbani of the Lebanese Forces Party (Christian) will be appointed deputy prime minister; May Chidiac will become culture minister; Kamil Abu Suleiman will be appointed labor minister; and Richard Kyumjian will be made minister of state.

According to the same sources, Akram Shahib and Wael Abou Faour of the Druze Democratic Gathering will take the education and industry portfolios respectively.

Lebanon’s influential Hezbollah group (Shia), meanwhile, will be represented in cabinet by Mohamed Fneish (minister of state for parliamentary affairs); Mahmoud Qamati (youth and sports minister); and Jamil Jabak (health minister).

Youssef Fenianos of the Marada Movement (Christian) will be appointed minister of labor, the same sources said, while Jawad Adra (Sunni) will be made minister of state.