President Michel Suleiman expressed his satisfaction with the general proceedings linked to the efforts to form a new government, reported the Saudi al-Sharq newspaper on Wednesday. He told the daily: “Starting Wednesday or Thursday we must start with placing the mechanism for the formation.”

He explained that this entails proposing names of potential ministers and the distribution of portfolios. Asked whether the new cabinet will be a neutral or all-embracing one, he replied: “We are working on both formations.” Meanwhile, concerned sources told the daily that the government will not be formed in the next two days, but it will likely be unveiled next week. The government formation process has made progress with the majority of factions reaching an initial agreement over an 8-8-8 lineup that grants each of the March 8 and 14 camps and centrists eight ministers. [Link]