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Lebanese Leader Forms Cabinet After 10 Months of Deadlock Lebanon Forms a Cabinet After 11 Months of Deadlock
(about 4 hours later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Prime Minister Tammam Salam of Lebanon formed a cabinet on Saturday that includes groups from across the political spectrum, bridging serious divisions 10 months after he took office. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s new prime minister, Tammam Salam, announced the formation of a cabinet on Saturday that represents many of the country’s deeply divided political factions, ending a nearly 11-month standoff that had left the government ill equipped to deal with increasing violence and a growing Syrian refugee population.
The 24-person cabinet includes members of the Western-backed coalition as well as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. The cabinet’s 24 members span the political spectrum, including Hezbollah, the militant Shiite organization, and its Western-backed foes. But because of key disagreements among the parties, few expect the cabinet to address Lebanon’s myriad problems effectively.
Fears that Syria’s civil war might spill over to its neighbor intensified pressure on Lebanon’s rival factions to make concessions, facilitating Mr. Salam’s job. “This cabinet is made of shattered glass,” said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. “Forming a cabinet was a deep necessity to make sure that the country would not slip any further into chaos and insecurity, but I would not read too much into it.”
“This is a unity cabinet that represents at the present time the best formula for Lebanon with all the political, security, economic and social challenges it is facing,” he told reporters. In a televised address, Mr. Salam called on all parties to work together to save Lebanon.
He said that the cabinet aimed to “strengthen national security and stand against all kinds of terrorism,” and that it would also address the nearly one million Syrian refugees who have fled to Lebanon, which has a population of about four million. “I extend my hand to all the leaders, and I am relying on their wisdom to reach these goals,” he said. “I call on all of them together to make concessions in the interest of our national project.”
The cabinet is not expected to stay for long. A new one should be formed after President Michel Suleiman’s term ends in May. Mr. Salam, a British-educated Sunni, was tasked with forming a new cabinet last April, a month after his predecessor, Najib Mikati, resigned amid governmental deadlock.
The Syrian civil war has sharply divided Lebanon’s population. Many Shiite Muslims back President Bashar al-Assad’s government, while many Sunnis support the rebels trying to oust him. Clashes between these factions and a wave of car bombings have killed scores of Lebanese. But his task was complicated by strained relations between Lebanon’s two major political coalitions, which back opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.
Hezbollah sent fighters to Syria last year to help Mr. Assad, while some Sunnis have joined the rebels. The Western-backed coalition in Lebanon, known as March 14, had said it would not join a unity government until Hezbollah withdrew its fighters. On one side are Hezbollah and its allies, who support President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Hezbollah, which has Lebanon’s strongest military force, has sent fighters to help Mr. Assad’s army.
The leader of March 14, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, said last month that he was ready to share power with Hezbollah if doing so would help end the deadlock. Hezbollah abandoned a demand that it and its allies be given veto power in the new cabinet. On the other side is a Western-backed coalition, most of whose members sympathize with the Syrian rebels and some of whom have helped fund and arm their movement.
Last April, legislators chose Mr. Salam to form the cabinet. He replaced Najib Mikati, who had abruptly resigned amid infighting in his government and a deadlock between the nation’s two main political camps. Tensions related to Syria have shaken Lebanon’s security, with deadly shootouts occurring regularly in the northern city of Tripoli and a series of car bombings killing dozens of civilians and a prominent politician. And the country, with a population of 4.2 million, now hosts about one Syrian refugee for every four Lebanese citizens, unsettling communities and straining the economy.
Mr. Salam, a son of former Prime Minister Saeb Salam, leans toward the Western-backed coalition. He studied in Britain and has degrees in economics and business administration. But few people expect that the cabinet will have the time or the cohesion to address these issues. It will probably serve for only a few months, and its first priority will be to keep important governmental posts filled.
By May 25, it must select a presidential candidate who can be agreed upon by two-thirds of Parliament. It must also pass laws to govern the election of a new Parliament.
Reaching agreements on those issues could prove too much for the cabinet to handle, experts said. “I don’t think this will make any difference because this is going to be a caretaker cabinet, and it will probably choke on the first meeting,” said Kamel Wazne, a Lebanese analyst.
The Western-backed Future Movement, most of whose members support the Syrian opposition, will lead the Interior and Justice Ministries. Hezbollah holds two posts, for Parliament affairs and industry.
The cabinet includes only one woman, the minister of displaced people.