France Supports Hariri's Proposal on Govt Formation in Lebanon

France has announced its support to a proposal by former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to end the crisis hindering the formation of a new government in Lebanon.

French officials consider that the proposal would take the country out of the worst situation it has been in since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The French Foreign Ministry welcomed Hariri's "courageous declaration," and said that "this announcement represents an opportunity and all parties should realize its importance in order to form an important government now."

Hariri suggested in a statement yesterday, Tuesday, that the Prime Minister-designate, Mustafa Adib, be nominated according to the sectarian power-sharing system in Lebanon, an "independent" Shiite candidate to take over the finance ministry portfolio.

Hariri said that his idea is to name "an independent finance minister from the Shiite community."

But he stressed that this does not mean that he agrees that a Shiite should always assume this position.

For years, the minister who held the finance ministry was chosen by the leader of the Amal movement, in partnership with Hezbollah. Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib is seeking to make changes in sects' control of ministerial positions.

On Monday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the country will go to "hell" if it is not able to form a government to confront a crisis that has paralyzed banks and led to the collapse of the value of the lire and pushed many into poverty. Aoun, a Christian, is an ally of Hezbollah.

The problems facing Lebanon were exacerbated by a devastating explosion that occurred on the fourth of August in the port of Beirut.

The country was shaken again as a result of subsequent fires that broke out in and around the region, as well as the explosion that occurred on Tuesday in southern Lebanon.

The former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, announced his acceptance of the Prime Minister-designate, Mustafa Adib, to name an independent minister from the Shiite community for the financial portfolio.

Hariri said in a statement that "a surprising obstacle emerged (in the way of reaching a miniature and integrated governmental formula), which was the request of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah to name the Shiite ministers and to restrict the finance portfolio to those they call from the Shiite community, based on the claim that this request is a constitutional right stemming from The Taif Agreement.

He added that Lebanon faces the danger of losing its last brakes to its collapse, so he decided to help President Adeeb find a way out by naming an independent finance minister from the Shiite community, whom he would choose, like all other ministers on the basis of competence, integrity and lack of party affiliation, without this decision being concerned.

In any case, this proposal doesn't recognize of the Ministry of Finance's exclusivity of the Shiite sect or any sect of sects.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron said during his recent visit to Lebanon in early September that Lebanese politicians pledged before him to complete the government formation within a period of 15 days, which ended yesterday.

At the time, observers believed that the deadline was illogical, given the delicacy and complexity of the political situation in Lebanon.

The French Foreign Ministry called on the Lebanese political forces to form a new government without any delay, warning that the alternative to Lebanon's recovery would be its collapse.

"At this decisive moment in the history of Lebanon, the Lebanese political forces face a choice between the recovery and the collapse of the country," said the spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, Agnes von der Molle, in a press conference.

The French Foreign Ministry had called on the political forces in Lebanon to urgently form a new government headed by Mustafa Adib, noting that Lebanon is going through an "unprecedented crisis.

It is noteworthy that French President Emmanuel Macron visited Lebanon early September and announced that the leaders of the political forces in Lebanon had pledged to form a new government by September 15th.