In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Elie Marouni said that Hezbollah refuses to discuss the national defense strategy, adding, “This will cause a political conflict when drafting the Ministerial Statement, because we refuse to legitimize Hezbollah’s arms.”

Marouni also said that last week’s meeting between President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri “gave hope” to forming a government soon.

He stressed that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun imposed “new conditions” on Hariri and requested “new portfolios,” adding that the problem is with Aoun wanting his bloc to have the “lion’s share” of key ministries.

-NOW Lebanon