Lebanese president announces national unity cabinet (Roundup)

Nov 9, 2009, 18:20 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Monday the line-up of the new national unity cabinet after a six- month political impasse that almost led the country into chaos.

Hariri's new cabinet will include 30 ministers, 15 ministers loyal to the Western-backed majority, ten to the opposition led by Hezbollah, and five loyal to Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman.

'Finally, the national-agreement cabinet is formed,' Hariri said after meeting with Suleiman in the presence of House Speaker Nabih Berri.

'We opened a new page that we hope will be one of agreement and cooperation in Lebanon,' he said.

'This cabinet will either be a chance for Lebanon to renew trust in its institutions, or it will be a stage where Lebanese will repeat their failure in achieving agreement,' the premier said.

Hariri said that Lebanon almost fell into the abyss, 'but trust in the Lebanese people's perseverance made us win over strife and give our country the chance to rise again.'

He added that this cabinet 'will ensure that we are up to the challenges we are going to face.'

Hariri also vowed that the cabinet would protect Lebanon from the Israeli threats and will work on retrieving occupied lands, as well as work for the interests of all Lebanese.

Lebanon has been without a functioning government since Hariri's electoral coalition, backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, won a June parliamentary election against the militant Shiite party Hezbollah and its allies.

The new 30-minister cabinet includes two Hezbollah ministers Hussein al-Hajj Hassan and Mohammad Fneish, who respectively will head the Agriculture Ministry and State Ministry for Administrative Reform.

Incumbents Ziad Baroud and Elias al-Murr, loyal to the president, respectively kept the interior and defence portfolios, while a new foreign minister who is loyal to the opposition was named.

The Finance Ministry was kept in the hands of the ruling majority but for the first time in Lebanese history is to be headed by a woman, Raya Haffar al-Hassan. She will be tasked to manage the country's public debt burden.

The parliamentary bloc of Christian leader Michel Aoun, who is close to the opposition, managed to get the Industry, Energy, Telecommunications and Tourism Ministries.

The other Christian Lebanese bloc, who are members of the pro- Western majority, kept the Justice Ministry and also got the Culture Ministry.

On the other hand the Christian Phalange Party, which is also a member of the majority, will hold two ministries including the Social Affairs Ministry, while Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's bloc will have the Public Works Ministry and the Ministry of Displaced.