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.

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Categories: Lebanon, Politics, Regional News

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

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