Lebanon’s opposition has agreed to a proposed government line-up, Hezbollah said yesterday, paving the way to end five months of tortuous negotiations following a June general election.
Hezbollah, which heads an alliance of parties supported by Syria and Iran, said in a statement that its leadership, including the head of the militant party Hassan Nasrallah, met late on Friday and agreed to join the national unity government proposed by prime minister-designate Saad Hariri.
“Those who took part in the meeting agreed to join a national unity government based on the agreements reached during negotiations,” the statement said.
“We hope that this step will be beneficial for Lebanon and its people,” it said.
An official from Hariri’s camp said they were awaiting official notification before announcing the new government.
An official with the presidency said the head of state was optimistic that the stalemate was over and an announcement was imminent.
The proposed 30-member Cabinet calls for 15 seats for the majority alliance and 10 for the opposition. The remaining five posts would be appointed by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.
In related developments, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned recent violations of the 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
In a report to the Security Council circulated on Friday, Ban said he was particularly concerned about the firing of rockets from Lebanon into Israel, the discovery of an arms and ammunition depot in southern Lebanon, and explosions and a fire in that area which are still under investigation.
Ban reiterated his call for full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah war, including the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, adherence to the arms embargo on Lebanon by all countries, especially those with ties to Hezbollah, demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border and an end to Israeli overflights.
Ban also called on Israel and Syria to respond to the provisional definition of the disputed Chebaa Farms area on Lebanon’s border with Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and urged Israel to withdraw from the village of Ghajar and an adjacent area that are on the Lebanese side of a UN-drawn boundary.
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