Karami fails once again to form a government
Lebanon, Politics, 4/12/2005

News reports in Beirut said that the meeting between the designated Lebanese prime minister Omar Karami and the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri in the Presidential Palace failed in settling the disputes pertaining to the formation of the new Lebanese government.

This failure came after the two men met with the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud to discuss obstacles standing in the face of forming the government, especially the elections law and distribution of ministerial bags.

One official source said following the meeting which lasted for five hours that there is a need for more consultations in order to settle certain complexes on the ministerial bags and distribution of shares on all political sides and the elections law. A later meeting was not fixed. However, the sources indicated that Karami will hold talks with his allies in Ein al-Tineh meeting which includes supporters for Syria.

It was hoped that Karami would have announced on Monday, yesterday, a government that includes 30 ministers after the meeting with Lahoud. The basic mission for this government is to prepare and supervise the legislative elections due to be held in May which will come up with a new government.

Karami stressed on Saturday he will put the final touches for the formation of the government in preparation to declare it on Monday, noting that the first thing the new government will make is to retract from the parliament the elections draft law that is based on the ground of the minor circle ( district), which was prepared by the resigned government. The Lebanese opposition expressed attachment to this law, while the meeting of supporters for Syria and Karami asked its members, the government to draw another election law based on the greater circle ( governorate) with proportional representations.

While the President and the Minister of the Interior in the resigned government Suleiman Franjieh want the elections to be held on the "minor circle" principle, as demanded by the opposition, Karami and Hizbullah and the Amal movement want to make it on the basis of the governorate and proportional representations.

Karami resigned on February 28 after two weeks from the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri under pressure from the public and the opposition. However, he was reappointed to form the new government.

Previous Stories:
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  Mayors of Hasbayia: Shebaa Farms are Lebanese   (4/11/2005)
  Lebanese minister calls for inter-lebanese dialogue   (4/11/2005)
  Michael Aoun announces intention to return to Lebanon   (4/11/2005)
  Junblat considers the Taif Accord as a guarantee for lebanon   (4/9/2005)

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