Hezbollah chief certain about partnership in new cabinet

Chief of Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Thursday night that he was certain that the new cabinet would include real national partnership, local daily As-Safier reported.

Addressing a cultural event for his party, Nasrallah said "very significant steps have been taken towards the cabinet formation," assuring all opposition parties that the upcoming government "would be of real national partnership."

"The national responsibility obliges us to form a government of real partnership, which has been achieved politically," Nasrallah said, stressing that the second phase of nominating ministers and distributing portfolios has already started.

He pointed out that "the general direction is positive, and we might reach the final shape of the cabinet soon."

Nasrallah called on Lebanese leaders to place the need of Lebanese people as a top priority, stressing that "if we want a successful government, we must listen to what the Lebanese people is asking from us instead of the outside world."

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has been seeking to form a coalition cabinet which includes his Western-backed "March 14" alliance and the "March 8" coalition led by the powerful Iran- and Syria-backed Hezbollah.

On June 27, Hariri was tasked by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman as the prime minister with forming a new cabinet.

After talks with Suleiman on Wednesday, Hariri told reporters that the formula for the government is almost complete, saying that "we will work seriously, calmly and maybe a little faster to come out with a government."