Lahoud assigns al-Hariri to form the new Lebanese government
Lebanese President Emil Lahoud has assigned Rafik al-Hariri to form the new Lebanese government in succession to the prime minister Salim al-Hoss which, according to the constitutions has resigned following the Lebanese parliamentary elections.
This was expressed in the statement released by the Lebanese Presidential palace on Monday following the conclusion of the Lebanese consultations held by President Lahoud on Monday with the Lebanese parliamentary blocs and independent parliamentarians with 107 Lebanese parliament members backing for the nomination of al-Hariri to form the new cabinet.
The consultation in which 126 parliament members took part out of 128 were held during morning and night sessions.
Al-Hariri, for his part said that he is looking forward to work with a spirit of national reconciliation in the coming new phase.
In a press conference he held on Monday evening following his meeting with President Lahoud, al-Hariri announced his acceptance of forming a new Lebanese government. He called every body for maintaining solidarity in order to renew confidence in the homeland, the state and the establishments. He added that the " challenges are great and many on the economic, social and political aspects and require highest degrees of national solidarity for withstanding its consequences at every level."
He indicated he will work together with President Lahoud to make consultations with the Lebanese parliamentarians and political forces and activists in order to form a government able to withstand the challenges of the phase which requires a special effort to revive the cycle of growth and production to continue the march of building up and construction, to withstand regional developments, the bottleneck the ME peace process has reached as a result of the Israeli stances and the declared war against the Palestinian people.
Al-Hariri ( 56 year old) worked as a prime minister for Lebanon for 6 successive years started on October 22, 1992 to November 1998.