Hezbollah gains greater control in Lebanon's new unity government

Beirut: Lebanon formed a unity government on Friday in which Hezbollah and its allies hold effective veto power, as agreed under a deal that ended a paralysing political conflict in the country.

The birth of the government, the first under newly elected President Michel Sulaiman, should close a long political crisis that had threatened to plunge Lebanon into a civil war.

The accord between political rivals sealed in Doha on May 21 allocated 16 cabinet seats to the Western-backed parliamentary majority and 11 to the opposition led by Hezbollah, giving it veto powers.

The opposition took the coveted posts of foreign minister and deputy prime minister in the new cabinet, while the ruling bloc maintained its hold on the finance ministry.

The president, who himself only took office four days after the Doha accord, filling a post left vacant since November, made three appointments, including Elias Murr, who kept the defence porfolio, despite opposition reservations.

Challenging era

The cabinet formation also marks the start of a challenging new era in which leaders must contain rising sectarian tensions, prepare for a parliamentary election next year and start talks on the fate of Hezbollah's military wing.

A presidential decree announced the cabinet after Sulaiman, a Maronite Christian, met Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a Sunni Muslim and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite Muslim.

"This government has two main tasks: regaining confidence in the Lebanese political system ... and securing the holding of a transparent parliamentary election," Siniora said.

"Our differences will not be resolved overnight, but we have decided to resolve them through dialogue rather than in the streets," he said.

Parliamentary majority leader, Sa'ad Hariri, said earlier yesterday that the breakthrough in weeks of efforts to form a new cabinet followed a concession to Hezbollah.

"I have asked Prime Minister Siniora to accept the nomination of Ali Kanso" in the line-up, he said, referring to a Hezbollah figure previously opposed by Hariri's camp. "We are making sacrifices in the interests of the country."

Ministers return

Apart from Kanso, the new team has 10 ministers from Hezbollah's Shiite, Druze and Christian allies.

Siniora's close adviser Mohammad Chatah takes the finance portfolio. Hezbollah's Mohammad Fneish becomes labour minister and Fawzi Salloukh, of the Shiite Amal group, foreign minister.