Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he will not be the next premier of Lebanon, in comments to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper Sunday, after Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib stepped down Saturday due to a government formation deadlock.
"I will not be prime minister ... and will not name anyone to take over the premiership," he told the London-based newspaper.
His comments come after Adib excused himself from the task of forming a new government as no breakthrough was achieved in the formation impasse.
Adib was appointed under immense pressure from France, and the formation of a new Cabinet was part of President Emmanuel Macron's initiative for Lebanon to put the country on a path of reforms that would lead to international financial aid.
Following Adib's decision, a source close to Macron told Reuters that France would not let Lebanon down. "Adib stepping down amounts to a 'collective betrayal' by Lebanese political parties," the source said.
Macron is set to hold a news conference from Paris to address the political situation in Lebanon at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Government formation efforts hit an impasse after leading Shiite parties the Amal Movement and Hezbollah rejected Adib's proposal to rotate the sectarian leadership of the sovereign ministries, insisting the Finance Ministry be reserved for the Shiite sect, a claim that intensified after the US imposed sanctions on senior Amal official and former Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil.
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned on Aug. 10, days after the devastating Beirut Port blast that ravaged swaths of the capital, killing more than 190 people.
Adib's resignation puts the country back at square one at a time when a full-fledged government is needed to enact sound economic and monetary policies as the country descends into further collapse.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
