As the new 30-member cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Omar Karami was announced Tuesday, political forces opposed to President Emile Lahoud's regime remained adamant in their opposition to the government, which they considered as pro-Syrian, Al Balad reported Wednesday.

North MP Ahmed Fatfat affirmed he will not give it a vote of confidence, especially after his proposal to name a minister representing his region in Dinnieh was rejected. "The government's task is not just restricted to promulgating an electoral law and to administering the electoral process. The coming weeks will be difficult on the cabinet. We are waiting for the budget to see how it's going to deal with the economic and financial issues," Fatfat said.

Fatfat was among 29 MPs who opposed the amendment of the constitution for the sake of extending Lahoud's mandate. Away from criticism, Fatfat hailed the female representation as a positive step. However, he said, "the name of Layla Solh is not but a political message."

For the first time in the history of Lebanon two women were appointed as ministers; Solh as industry minister and Wafaa Dika Hamza as state minister. Karami announced a half-Muslim-half-Christian cabinet to replace that of billionaire Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who resigned last week after serving for most of the past 14 years. The new cabinet is Karami's second after Lebanon's civil war ended in 1990. His government was forced out by social riots in 1991.

The paper quoted opposition MP and member of the broad-based Christian opposition Qornet Shahwan, Fares Soueid as saying, "the new government appears to be loyal to Syria than to Lebanon." "I feel sorry that the extended government's first move was a step in the wrong direction," he added. Soueid described the consultations prior to the formation of the cabinet as a "comedy". "Now that the comedy is over, we warn the authority against maintaining the internal crisis because the government's major problem now lies with international legitimacy and resolution 1559," Soueid said.

According to Fares Boueiz, the environment minister who resigned last month in protest against the amendment of the constitution, "This government indicates a provocation and defiance to the dignity of the Lebanese and their correct representation, mainly to the Maronites."

The new cabinet did not include members of the Christian opposition or of Druze overlord Walid Jumblat's Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc or pro-Hariri members. It included six Maronites. "Although we share friendly sentiments with the prime minister and some members of the cabinet, we do not envy them for what they are going to face from humiliation to the country, the people and the government," Boueiz said. He accused the cabinet as bearing intelligence militia members.

Aoun Comments

Meanwhile, Al Balad reported that exiled former army commander General Michel Aoun believes the new cabinet under Karami is similar to previous ones in that "it is not representative and does not express people's needs, and therefore it cannot rule on their behalf." "It rules in the name of the Syrian occupation, it is a sham," he said.

Aoun is known for his staunch opposition to Syria. He testified before the U.S. Congress and made anti-Syria remarks to support the Syria Accountability Act, which led to sanctions on Syria. Aoun said he was surprised how some ministers defended their dignity but not their people and country's pride.

Aoun expected the new cabinet to face a political crisis on the internal and external levels. "At the internal level it is a government of divvying up bounties and assigning them, while at the external level it is a government outside the international legitimacy and which violates resolution 1559," Aoun said.

He added that in addition to the political crisis, the government will face rampant economic crisis "since the country's resources have been robbed and the cabinet does not possess any means to resolve the economic bankruptcy." "This government is not trustworthy to lure foreign investment and donor countries," Aoun said.