Salim Aoun urged ruling bloc to resolve their problems before objecting to any of the opposition΄s proposal

Source: nowlebanon.com, 09-07-2008

The latest cabinet news centers on talk of the possible appointment of former Syrian Social Nationalist Party president Ali Kanso as a Hizbullah minister in the national unity government.

MP Salim Aoun of the Change and Reform bloc, an ally of Hizbullah in the opposition said the March 14 team was "trying to cover its inability to distribute its ministerial quota by saying that the problem lies in the Hizbullah's nomination of Kanso."

In an interview with NOW Lebanon on Wednesday, Aoun said the pro-government alliance's rejection of Kanso's appointment based on his "participation" in the events that shook Beirut in May, 2008, was "not permissible, because the Future Movement also participated in those events, as well Hizbullah and some other parties."

"If there is certain criteria for entry into the government, they should say it," Aoun said. "If the criteria is being a militia, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea should not participate in the government either," he added.

Aoun said the opposition had a number of observations and comments which it did not want to raise in the current stage because of possible repercussions on the formation of the government, including fears that the opposition's opponents would use the issues as arguments to accuse the opposition of deactivation.

Aoun urged the ruling majority to resolve their problems on how to distribute their quotas before objecting to any of the opposition's proposal.

The MP described his pro-government opponents' work as "insincere" and accused them of projecting their problems on the opposition.