Lebanon Sunni Leader Ready for Unity Govt With Hezbollah

Says Hezbollah Can't Have 'Veto Power'

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been railing against the rival Hezbollah Party for almost a solid decade now, and the government has usually been one or the other faction, never both.

That could change soon, however, as both sides have roughly the same representation and Hariri now says he is “ready” for a unity government, provided Hezbollah doesn’t insist on any veto powers.

Lebanon has been in a state of political gridlock for almost a year, since the resignation of Hezbollah-allied PM Najib Mikati, and neither Hezbollah nor Hariri’s March 14 bloc able to put together a new coalition on their own.

A unity coalition would end that gridlock, but would also be politically difficult for Hariri, who is backed by the United States but would certainly lose that endorsement if he agrees to such a coalition.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.