Formation of new Lebanese government; Changes in defense, foreign affairs and information

Under the conditions of the escalated American pressure against Syria, the Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri on Thursday formed a new government that includes 30 ministers. It is the third government under the rule of the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud, according to an official source.

However, political sources in Beirut talks about reasons that necessitate the political change and described by parliamentary circles as an old -new government which only bear some changes.

The secretary general of the Lebanese Cabinet Suheil Youji at the presidential palace in Ba'bda, east Beirut, read the names of the designated ministers.

The political circles in Beirut spoke about reasons that necessitate the governmental reshuffle and the resignation of the former government, especially that the previous government is now two years old, though it was expected to quit after the conference of Lebanon Friends in Paris, or what is known as "Paris II" to form a government that is able to proceed into political and economic transformations requested to meet Lebanon's obligations to its friends, especially as internal consensus on the previous government has decreased.

According to the common political tradition pursued in Lebanon, the government includes equal numbers of Christian and Muslim ministers including the prime minister who is from the Sunni community.

The ministerial reshuffle coincided with the end of the war in Iraq and the threats directed by Washington to Syria which has a great influence in Lebanon.

Jan Obeid became the foreign minister, Michael Smaha is the minister of information; and Mahmoud Hammoud was moved from being minister of information to ministry of defense.