BICOM

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman yesterday gave his formal approval to the decision of the Lebanese parliament to back Najib Mikati as the new prime minister designate in Lebanon. Mikati, 55, a billionaire businessman in the telecommunications sector, is the preferred candidate of Hezbollah and the March 8 movement. A majority in parliament was obtained for the appointment of Mikati after the faction controlled by Druze strongman Walid Jumblatt chose to vote with Hezbollah and its allies. According to Lebanese sources, Jumblatt’s support was obtained after direct threats of violence against him, his family and his community by Hezbollah leaders. The approval of Mikati was greeted with fury by many in Lebanon’s Sunni community. According to the constitution, the prime minister of Lebanon must be a Sunni. But many in the community feel that Mikati, who is strongly linked to Syria, does not represent them. They maintain their loyalty to current caretaker-prime minister Saad al-Hariri. The likely formation of a government consisting only of Hezbollah and its allies represents a major new development in Lebanon. Three senior members of Hariri’s movement, including his security chief Hussam Trabulsi, were arrested yesterday.