Hezbollah ‘blocking formation of Lebanon government’

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri speaks during a news conference in Beirut on Nov. 13. (Reuters)
Updated 14 November 2018
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Hezbollah ‘blocking formation of Lebanon government’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri accused Hezbollah on Tuesday of blocking the formation of a government after nearly six months of wrangling.

“It’s very regrettable that Hezbollah has put itself in the position of bearing responsibility for hindering the government,” Hariri said.

“I’ve done my job and the government is ready” otherwise, he said.

Hezbollah has pushed for Sunni politicians allied to the militia but opposed to Hariri to be represented in the Cabinet. Hariri has refused to give up a portfolio that would otherwise go to his own party.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday no government would be formed if his Sunni allies were not represented. “The lawmakers have demanded their right to be represented,” he said.

Hezbollah is the only political party not to have disarmed after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, and has backed the Assad regime in the civil war in Syria.

On May 24, after parliamentary elections, President Michel Aoun nominated Hariri for his third term as prime minister and asked him to form a Cabinet. But disputes have dragged out the process, starting with a now resolved argument over Christian representation.

Meanwhile the US State Department on Tuesday declared Nasrallah’s son Jawad Nasrallah a “global terrorist.” It said he was a “rising leader” of the group who had recruited people “to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.”

The US also maintained its 21-year “foreign terrorist organization” designation of Hezbollah. 

 


Putin thanks UAE’s president for Ukraine mediation efforts

Updated 30 January 2026
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Putin thanks UAE’s president for Ukraine mediation efforts

  • Russian president meets Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Moscow for talks spanning international affairs and bilateral trade
  • Another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday

LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked his counterpart from the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, on Thursday for his mediation efforts on the war in Ukraine.

As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for another round of peace talks, due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the Emirati president met the Russian leader at the Kremlin during an official visit to Moscow.

Putin “expressed his appreciation to the UAE for hosting the trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States,” the Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Mohammed said he was proud to have helped mediate prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and the UAE was ready to “assist all constructive efforts” regarding important humanitarian matters.

The leaders also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East. Regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they said there was an “urgent need to intensify efforts to achieve a clear path towards a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.”

Other topics included ways in which bilateral cooperation might be strengthened in areas such as trade, investment, technology, space and energy.

Russia and the UAE have moved to deepen ties in recent years. They signed two key trade and economic partnership agreements last summer.