BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday reappointed Saad Hariri as the prime minister-designate in a bid to restart efforts to form a unity government.
Hariri stepped down last week amid wrangling over his decision to move forward with a Cabinet proposal without the consent of opposition lawmakers.
Hariri led his March 14 alliance to power in the June elections over the March 8 opposition slate. Though Hariri managed to secure a power-sharing arrangement for his next government, political defections and disputes over minister decisions undermined his efforts.
Hariri said following his reappointment that he would move forward with new negotiations with opposition lawmakers at the end of the Ramadan holiday, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"I will conduct extensive consultations, and I will be open to all ideas … to form an effective and harmonious cabinet that embodies the results of the last parliamentary elections," he said.
Hezbollah had raised particular opposition to a decision to exclude caretaker Communications Minister Jebran Bassil from the next Cabinet despite his loss in the June elections.
Nevertheless, Mohammad Raad, a Hezbollah lawmaker, said his party was ready to work with Hariri and "respects true partnership."
