Lebanese hopes rise as prospects for unity cabinet take upturn

Berri believes formation of government may be imminent By Anthony Elghossain Daily Star staff Saturday, July 05, 2008 BEIRUT: Prospects of forming a national unity government seemd to improve Friday, with the political pendulum shifting back toward optimism after a mid-week sputter due to a dispute over the distribution of already-determined cabinet shares threatened to derail talks. Premier Fouad Siniora, charged with putting together a government, met with opposition-aligned Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) political relations officer Gebran Bassil on Friday in what Siniora described as a "positive meeting characterized by persistence with regard to dialogue and contact." Media reports, citing sources close to the meeting, indicate that Siniora's talks with Bassil "went well, and focused largely on the potential swapping of... [read full story]