US urges Lebanon’s new PM-designate to form government quickly
The US on Tuesday called on Lebanon’s new prime minister-designate Najib Mikati to move quickly to form a government to address the country’s long crisis.
“The US renews its calls to quickly form a government that’s empowered and a government that’s also committed to implementing critical reforms,” State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters.
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The designation of the 65-year-old Mikati, Lebanon’s richest man and to many a symbol of its corrupt oligarchy, was met with general scepticism.
Mikati, the third politician in a year to attempt the job, promised to form a government of experts, in line with a French roadmap conditioning a huge aid package on reform and transparency.
In an interview with the An-Nahar newspaper, Mikati vowed his lineup would be “purely technocratic”.
Tuesday’s meetings with the parliamentary blocs are the customary official step that follows a new prime minister’s designation but the high-stakes horse-trading has yet to begin.
The current caretaker government also describes itself as technocratic but each one of its members was endorsed by the political barons who have run the country for decades.
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Najib Mikati secures votes to be designated Lebanon PM
Leading Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister, ... Middle East -
Crisis-hit Lebanon holds consultations to pick new prime minister
Lebanon on Monday started parliamentary consultations to designate a new premier who will make the third attempt within a year to form a government ... Middle East