Lebanese-Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri accused on Thursday the Hezbollah party of prolonging the government formation crisis. The PM was refuting allegations by Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem and the party’s al-Akhbar newspaper that alleged he was waiting for a signal from foreign powers to form the cabinet. Denying the claims, Hariri in a statement on Thursday said the party was “maneuvering to prolong the vacuum as it waits on Iran” and its negotiations with the United States. Moreover, he denied that President Michel Aoun had informed him through General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim that he would only name five ministers, as well as the Tashnag minister, in the new 18-member cabinet. The president had also insisted that he obtain the interior portfolio, while his son-in-law MP Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement that was founded by Aoun, would not grant the government his vote of confidence. Hariri rejected the proposal, in what was deemed a surprise move. The PM’s office was quick to deny the claims, saying it did not receive any official comment from Aoun in this regard, meaning those leaking these reports are only seeking to shift blame in the crisis from the president and Bassil to Hariri. “As opposed to Hezbollah, which always waits for instructions from Iran before making any move, Hariri is not waiting to please any foreign side in the government formation process,” said the statement. Hariri is only awaiting Aoun’s approval over the formation of a government of experts, in line with the amendments that the PM had openly proposed on February 14, and not through suspicious media leaks. “Hezbollah is maneuvering to prolong the government vacuum as it waits for Iran to begin its negotiations with the new American administration, while using Lebanon’s stability as a bargaining chip,” continued the statement. If the FPM was truly seeking to withhold confidence from the government, then why is Aoun insisting on obtaining a third of its ministers, it remarked. Furthermore, he noted that Aoun had during the term of his predecessor, Michel Suleiman, rejected the proposal that the president name any minister in government if he did not boast a parliamentary bloc that could support him. The presidency and Hezbollah have yet to respond to Hariri’s rebuttal. Bassil, for his part, issued a statement saying that the government is being held hostage by Hariri, who is not prepared to form it due to foreign factors. The FPM, he continued, only has one demand and that is to respect the constitution. Addressing the people, he said: “Your government is being held hostage and it can only be regained by appeasing foreign powers or through an internal revolution.”