Aoun wants a fifth portfolio

Gregg Carlstrom | October 22, 2009 8:08 AM | 0 | recommend (0) |   |      

There were some optimistic reports earlier in the week that Lebanon would have a cabinet "within days." Needless to say, that optimism was misguided!

The political news out of Lebanon is always a little hard to decipher, but it seems Michel Aoun has asked for a fifth cabinet portfolio for his Change and Reform bloc. C&R was originally given four portfolios, but the bloc has grown in recent weeks -- from 21 members of parliament to 27 -- and so Aoun wants a fifth portfolio.

Hariri hasn't responded to the demand yet, and several media sources say Aoun pledged to keep their cabinet deliberations private -- so it could be a while before we find out whether Hariri will agree to this request.

The consensus in the Lebanese press is that Aoun's request wipes out whatever progress was made in recent days. The Daily Star says it "blows any cabinet advances out of the water."

As-Safir writes that the pessimists made the right bet -- again -- despite the "excessive optimism" that followed the Syrian-Saudi summit earlier this month. And Al-Akhbar sounds generally confused about what's happening in Lebanon right now.

For updates throughout the day, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or RSS!

Categories: Lebanon, Politics, Regional News

Tags: Change and Reform bloc, Lebanese cabinet, Michel Aoun, Saad Hariri

No Comments

Post a Comment

Full list of Lebanese cabinet nominees

We've translated a list of the cabinet nominees that was posted in Arabic on Tayyar.org, a Lebanese news portal. The full list is after the jump. It includes political affiliation, portfolio and religion for each nominee.

Qifa Nabki heads back to Cambridge

Elias Muhanna, the Harvard University PhD student who runs the well-liked Qifa Nabki blog from Beirut, is returning to Cambridge to complete his studies. Meanwhile, Lebanon still doesn't have a government.

Baradar's arrest: Cutting off a conduit to the Taliban

Latest Iraqi election results: Karbala province

ADL, AIPAC continue march towards irrelevance

Al-Akhbar: Our weekly brief

Peace Processing

Fallout from Biden's visit: West Bank sealed off; proximity talks appear stalled

Gregg Carlstrom | March 12, 2010 8:56 AM | 0 | recommend (0)
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas greets U.S. vice president Joe Biden in Ramallah. (Photo: AFP)
As Joe Biden wraps up his Middle East tour, Palestinian officials say they're unwilling to move forward with proximity talks unless Israel cancels its new construction in East Jerusalem; and the Israeli Defense Forces have sealed off the West Bank for 48 hours, reportedly for security concerns. Several people were injured and arrested in fighting at the Al-Aqsa mosque this morning.

Peace Processing

Biden arrives in Israel amid serious Palestinian doubts

Gregg Carlstrom | March 9, 2010 4:56 AM | 1 | recommend (0)
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife arrived in Israel on Monday.
As Joe Biden lands in Israel, the Israeli government -- obviously keen to demonstrate that it's serious about restarting peace talks -- announced Monday that it will violate its West Bank settlement freeze and build 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, a settlement west of Bethlehem.

Iraqi Elections

Polls close in Iraq; media reports suggest strong turnout, relative calm

Gregg Carlstrom | March 7, 2010 9:27 AM | 0 | recommend (0)
An Iraqi man on a bicycle displays his ink-stained finger after voting in Baghdad on March 7, 2010. (Photo: AP)
A handful of insurgent attacks around the country killed two dozen people, but Iraqi security forces seemed generally confident; the vehicle ban in Baghdad, scheduled to last all day, was lifted before noon. Anecdotal reports suggest a strong turnout across the country.

Bloggers

The "MSM"