The Media Office of the Presidency of the Republic issued a statement in which it responded to the PM-designate Saad Hariri’s comments on the letter of former Minister Salim Jreissati addressed to the Hariri and published today in Al-Nahar newspaper
The statement considered that the Hariri’s comments included a series of wrong interpretations about the president’s positions emerged that must be clarified.
“First: The objection expressed by the President of the Republic was based mainly on the method of distributing ministerial portfolios among the sects, and the proposed names were not discussed. The President of the Republic saw that the criteria is not uniformed in the distribution of the portfolios , and he asked the PM-designate to reconsider them. President Aoun also objected to Prime Minister Hariri’s sole naming of ministers, especially the Christians, without an agreement with the President of the Republic, noting that the constitution stipulates that the formation of the government takes place by agreement between the presidents of the republic and the PM.”
“Second: The President of the Republic did not deliver a list of names of candidates minister, rather, he proposed during the discussion a set of names that were included in a paper that the PM-designate presented for review. This paper was not prepared for delivery or for official approval, but rather came in the category of an exchange of views.”
“Third: Every time the PM-designate visited Baabda Palace, he used to make a proposal that was different from the ones proposed in previous visits, and the lineup he presented on his last visit was different from the that which he consulted with the President of the Republic on.”
“Fourth: President Aoun never presented the names of partisan candidates for minister, he was asking the PM-designate to necessarily consult with the heads of parliamentary blocs who would give his government confidence and cooperate with him in the reform bills that the government intended to adopt. President Aoun never mentioned the control of parties involved or repeating the experiences of several governments controlled by the factors of quotas and political tensions. His is concern first and foremost was to reach a harmonious government that would be able to face the difficult conditions the country is going through, which require flexibility in dealing with frankness and realism and not stubbornness and distortion of facts.”
Source: NNA