Sa'ad al-Hariri, the leader of Lebanon's parliamentary majority and head of the Future movement, is poised to become prime minister. Hariri, 39, the son of the murdered former premier Rafiq al-Hariri, held rare talks Thursday with Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah's chief , to explore the prospects for a new national unity coalition government.
"We have chosen as our candidate for the premiership the head of the Future Movement, Saad Hariri," Future movement official and MP Samir al-Jisr told reporters after holding consultations with President Michel Suleiman. Suleiman is expected to officially designate the new prime minister on Saturday.
From the opposition, Speaker Nabih Berri said he nominated Hariri but his bloc will not take part in a government "unless it was one of consensus and real participation."
Hizbullah pledged "cooperation and open mindedness." "In case Hariri is designated premier at the end of the deliberations, we will cooperate with an open mind to continue the dialogue launched last night between him and Sayyed Nasrallah," the head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc Mohammed Raad said.
