Lebanese Form National Unity Government
Hezbollah Gains Effective Veto Power; U.S.-Backed Premier Stays

By Alia Ibrahim
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, July 12, 2008

BEIRUT, July 11 -- Lebanese President Michel Suleiman announced the formation of a national unity government Friday that gives the Syrian-backed Hezbollah movement effective veto power over major decisions but keeps in place Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who is supported by the United States.

Negotiations over the formation of the government lasted seven weeks, amid occasional outbreaks of violence between supporters of some of the country's rival factions.

"It is certain that our differences in opinion and vision will not disappear overnight, but what's important is how we manage those differences and work on dismantling them. . . . Is it going to be in the streets, by relying on weapons and the language of violence?" Siniora said after a meeting with Suleiman.

Under a formula agreed to during talks mediated by Qatar in May, Hezbollah and its allies were granted 11 seats in the 30-member cabinet, giving it the power to block major legislation, which requires the assent of at least 20 ministers. Siniora said the cabinet's main tasks will be to rebuild public confidence in the government and prepare for national elections expected to take place between May and July of next year.

Political analyst Nabil Bou Monsef said the new government marks the beginning of a transitional period. "We will have to wait and see what the rules of the game are going to be in this stage. What Siniora said about bringing back the disputes to the table is true, but what's not sure is that they remain there," he said.

In 2006, five ministers allied with Hezbollah resigned from an earlier cabinet led by Siniora, precipitating a political crisis that caused the worst political violence since the end of the civil war in 1989. Three of those five ministers are in the new government.

Hezbollah insisted on a cabinet portfolio for Ali Qanso, a former leader of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party, which drew objections from Siniora, who accused Qanso of fomenting violence in May. Nonetheless, Siniora relented. "I had two choices, either going to the unknown or allow the formation of the government and move the country," Siniora said.

Despite having to swallow the appointment of Qanso, which a senior official in the predominantly Sunni Future Movement led by Saad Hariri labeled "a disappointment," the parliamentary majority backing Siniora was able to keep him as prime minister.

The majority also named to the cabinet Ibrahim Shamseddine, a Shiite not allied with Hezbollah or Amal, another Shiite party. Siniora's supporters said Shamseddine would undermine Hezbollah's claim to be the exclusive representative of Lebanon's Shiites.

"The opposition has been able to impose names and [obtain] good portfolios, in addition to control over the 'blocking third' of cabinet seats," said Ali Hamdan, adviser to parliament speaker and opposition leader Nabih Berri.

Clashes erupted in the northern city of Tripoli this week between pro-opposition residents of the Jabal Mohsen neighborhood and Sunni residents of Tebbaneh, who are associated with the government. Four people were killed and more than 30 injured in acts of bombing and sniping that lasted two days.

"There are very serious suspicions regarding the timing of those clashes, and this could be a sign on how things will be dealt with in the future. I'm afraid that this could become a pattern, stirring problems in Tripoli, or in other fragile areas, every time there is a disagreement over political matters," said Bou Monsef, the political analyst.