Lebanese officials announced the formation of a new government on Saturday, ending more than 10 months of impasse in a country grappling with violence spilling over from neighbouring Syria’s civil war.
The 24 ministers making up this new government will be presided over by Tammam Salam (pictured, above). The government is expected to include members of both the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah and the Sunni-led bloc of ex-premier Saad Hariri.
Multiple attempts to form a government over the past 10 months have failed, with Lebanon’s long-standing political divisions deepened by the divisive Syrian conflict.
But Hariri announced on January 21 that his bloc was prepared to join a government of national unity with Hezbollah and its allies, despite its strong opposition to the group’s military intervention in Syria.
Hezbollah has dispatched fighters to the conflict to bolster its ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Hariri and his bloc oppose the regime in Damascus and support the uprising against Assad.
AFP
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