BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri are “determined to form a government”, state news agency NNA quoted Hariri as saying after they met on Tuesday evening. Only one difficulty remains in the process and Hariri and Aoun are working to solve it, Hariri added. A breakthrough to create a national unity government in line with Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system seemed close last month, but did not work out and the impasse resumed. However, Hariri said on Sunday he still believed the government would form early in the new year. Hariri has pledged to carry out economic reforms that could unlock billions of dollars of international investment in Lebanese power, transport and data infrastructure, aimed at boosting the economy after years of weak growth.

Source: Egypt Independent January 02, 2019 08:48 UTC