With the ongoing stalemate in forming the new government, disagreements began to take a negative turn, especially regarding the dispute over the approach towards the consultations between President Michel Aoun and the Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. The latter and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement Minister Gebran Bassil, held a private discussion in Parliament over government’s formation.
Reports that circulated in the last hours about presidential remarks on Hariri’s performance led to tension in the political atmosphere. Sources close to the prime minister-designate expressed dismay at the alleged news from the presidential palace.
Ministerial sources in the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) said that Aoun had raised many question marks on the consultations led by Hariri.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the president “is undoubtedly disturbed by the delay in forming the government and considers that Hariri is not undertaking sufficient initiatives to resolve the nodes,” hinting at Hariri’s “biais” toward the demands of some parties and his neglect of others.
“For example, the Christian node has two sides, the Lebanese Forces and the FPM; Hariri met with the head of the first side, and did not meet with the second. In the Druze node, he met with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, and did not meet with the head of the Lebanese Democratic Party MP Talal Arslan; he also refuses to discuss any Sunni share outside the Future Bloc,” the sources noted.
These remarks did not go unnoticed. Sources close to Hariri said the latter has expressed his dissatisfaction with Aoun’s report, stressing at the same time that he
According to the sources, Aoun’s alleged remarks, in addition to Bassil’s adherence to his demands, made Hariri believe that a plan was adopted by the head of the FPM to “impose his conditions and besiege Hariri politically”. The sources added, however, that the premier-designate would not abandon his allies nor would he succumb to pressure.