Talks to resolve the cabinet formation crisis are expected to resume Wednesday based on the same initiative that failed last week to produce any positive outcomes. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday there are efforts to revive the old initiative, which stipulated that the Consultative Gathering bloc be represented by the share of President Michel Aoun. The initiative had failed last week when the six Sunni deputies allied with Hezbollah opposed the candidacy of Jawad Adra, who would have become minister as a member of the president’s bloc, not Hezbollah’s. The dispute is mainly linked to the question of who gets the “blocking third” in the government. Such a bloc would have enough ministers to obstruct any cabinet decision. However, the sources said: “There is information that the Free Patriotic Movement might back away from its insistence that the new minister be from Aoun’s share.” In recent days, Hezbollah and leaders from the FPM, which is headed by caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, succeeded in containing tension between their supporters that was sparked by the delay in the formation of the government. Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri offered his apologies over the delay. “We must form a new cabinet at the beginning of next year,” he was quoted as saying Sunday. Other sources close to the formation process told Asharq Al-Awsat that General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim proposed forming a 32-member cabinet. This would see two seats added to the government, one would go to the Alawite sect and another would go to Christian minority sects. However, Ibrahim set a condition that the Alawite minister be from former PM Najib Miqati’s share and the Christian be from Aoun’s share. Such a proposal would guarantee the representation of the six independent Sunni deputies and would give Hariri an additional Sunni minister from his share. Hariri had reportedly completely rejected this proposal during talks with Ibrahim, the sources revealed.