After six weeks of internal wrangling, the Lebanese government Friday agreed to form a new government. Half of the 30 Cabinet posts will be awarded to the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora with about one-third, or 11, of the ministerial seats going to opposition parties supported by Lebanese Hizballah.
The decision means Hizballah will have enough seats to hold veto power in the new government. One of the constitutional requirements is a joint statement pointing to the future of the Lebanese government. Part of that statement may include language from the May cease-fire agreements that call on all militias to lay down their weapons. However, with the veto-wielding Hizballah, any such language will largely be diluted.
