Despite stalled efforts to form the cabinet in Lebanon, there are moves made at several fronts to dissipate obstacles hindering the launch of new initiatives that might ease the birth of a new government, eight. Asharq Al-Awsat learned on Sunday that head of the coordination unit in Hezbollah, Wafiq Safa visited lately President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Presidential Palace to discuss relations between Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement and the party. “The two sides did not discuss new nominees for the Sunni ministerial portfolio representing the six deputies,” an informed source said. The FPM and Hezbollah witnessed tensed relations in the past week and exchanged accusations after the six Sunni deputies allied with the Shi’ite party have opposed candidate Jawad Adra, who would have entered the government as a member of the president’s bloc and not Hezbollah’s. The dispute is mainly linked to the question of who gets the ‘blocking third’ in the government. At the level of the distribution of ministerial shares, Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying that he does not mind giving up the Environment Ministry, which the FPM demands. However, he refused to get the Ministry of Information or Ministry of Displaced in return. Both, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai and the Phalange Party are demanding a small cabinet, while head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea asked why President Michel Aoun and the Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had not yet decided on forming a government. "What I cannot understand is why Prime Minister Hariri and President Aoun do not exercise their right to sign the decree to form a government, especially since we cannot leave Lebanon and its economy for its own destiny," he said. For his part, Rai called Sunday for forming a mini-cabinet, saying: "We are convinced of forming a mini-government comprised of competent specialists who are impartial to take on State responsibilities and are able to work immediately on solving the countrys crises."