French envoy to Beirut to send message for Lebanon's cabinet formation

BEIRUT, Oct. 3 -- Visiting French presidential envoy Henry Guaino is expected to deliver a message from President Nicolas Sarkozy Saturday to his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman to express French 's keenness on cabinet formation "without delay," the local An Nahar daily newspaper reported Saturday.

Guaino, who arrived in Beirut Friday, will also hold talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and PM-designate Saad Hariri.

Guaino will inform Suleiman of Sarkozy's worries over any new obstacle facing Hariri and his support for Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom and independence, the daily quoted diplomatic sources as saying.

Lebanon has seen more than three months without a new cabinet after Hariri was designated prime minister for the first time on June 27, following his March 14 Alliance won the June 7 parliamentary elections over Hezbollah-dominant March 8 Alliance.

Hariri stepped down on Sep. 10 as his cabinet lineup proposal was rejected by the opposition. He was designated as prime minister for the second time on Sep. 16.

The diplomatic sources added that Sarkozy is making every attempt to help end the cabinet crisis and will not stop efforts until agreement is reached among bickering parties on a government lineup.

Guaino's meetings with Lebanese officials come in parallel with Elysee Secretary-General Claude Gueant's visit to Damascus on Sunday on a mission linked to Lebanese cabinet formation and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem's stay in Paris, said the newspaper.

Gueant's mission in Syria includes following up the result of contacts between Syrian officials and some Lebanese leaders and urging Damascus to facilitate cabinet formation in no more than 10 days.