Mikati's new cabinet boosts hopes for an early election

LEBANON: Lebanon's prime minister designate Najib Mikati yesterday formed a cabinet of businessmen, politicians and technocrats to prepare for parliamentary elections at the end of May.

Mr Mikati is a wealthy businessman and former public works minister who has close family ties with the Syrian president, Dr Bashar Assad, but does not belong to any of Lebanon's ruling clans.

As he left the presidential palace after presenting his cabinet, Mr Mikati stated, "This is a government that harbours no grudges against anyone, and it marks the beginning of the building of the future." He said it included "all factions".

He was nominated on Friday by the Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud, after the caretaker premier, Omar Karami, stepped down following more than six weeks of deadlock between pro-Syrian and opposition politicians. This threatened to postpone the poll which the opposition hopes will pave the way for an independent, reformist administration

Facing an April 31st deadline to dissolve parliament, the deadlock was broken by Bahia Hariri, opposition deputy and sister of the former prime minister Rifik Hariri, whose assassination on February 14th plunged the country into crisis.

Mr Mikati is acceptable to the opposition because he pledged to form a cabinet of figures who would not stand in the election, carry out the poll on time and oust security bosses who have been accused of involvement in the murder of Mr Hariri.

The new government contains 14 ministers rather than the usual 30. Two key pro-Syrian figures have been retained from the outgoing cabinet, Mahmoud Hammoud, the foreign minister, and Elias Murr, the president's son-in-law, who moves from interior to defence.

Both have been sharply criticised by the opposition for their management of the Hariri murder case.

New faces include Hassan Sebai, a retired security officer, who was appointed to the key interior ministry which will supervise the poll and Khaled Kabbani, a judge who was given the justice ministry which will deal with the recentlyestablished UN commission charged with investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Hariri.

Ghassan Salame, a former culture minister and close confidant of Mr Hariri, received the culture portfolio. He is seen as the "opposition's man" in the government.

The cabinet was announced as the number of Syrian troops in Lebanon dropped to 1,000-1,500. The last units are to go home next week, ending the 29-year Syrian military presence in the country.

This is expected to coincide with the departure of Gen Rustom Ghazzaleh, the head of Syrian military intelligence who has exercised considerable influence on Lebanese political and economic life in recent years.