designate Najib Mikati expects this week to form his cabinet, which will include members of a Hezbollah-led camp but exclude his Western-backed rivals, an official said Tuesday. “Prime minister Mikati hopes to finalize his consultations and form the government this week,” the official, who is close to the premier, said. “The next government will include representatives of the (Hezbollah-led) new majority, centrists and technocrats,” he said, adding that the size of the cabinet had not been finalized yet but would likely count 24 to 30 ministers. The “centrists” would be appointed into office by Mikati and President Michel Sleiman, who has positioned himself as a politically neutral figure in Lebanon. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, also said he expected Mikati to complete his cabinet formation in the next few days. “The government will see the light this week,” Berri told reporters at a conference in Qatar Tuesday. “But it would appear that some parties have no desire to participate in a government of national salvation.” Hezbollah, which is backed by both Tehran and Damascus, last month toppled the Hariri government and succeeded in ushering Mikati in to replace him, thanks to the key parliamentary votes of its Christian and Druze allies. The move prompted a wave of anger among the allies and supporters of Hariri, who accuse Hezbollah of a “coup” and of attempting to unilaterally control government.
