Beirut, September 11, SPA --Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will start parliamentary consultations to nominate a new prime minister onSeptember 15 and 16, dpa cited an official source as saying today. Hariri said Thursday he was stepping down as prime minister-designate after nearly three months of trying to form a unitygovernment. The announcement by Hariri followed 73 days of fruitless effortsto form a government. Under the constitution, Hariri had 70 days toform his new government after being named. Suleiman will hold consultations with all parliamentary blocs inthe 128-member parliament, and "it is likely that Hariri will benamed again," a government source said. MP Ammar Houri, of Hariri's Future bloc, denied that Hariri'sdecision to step down was calculated to get himself reappointed, andsaid only that Hariri was considering whether or not he would like tobe nominated again. Houri highlighted Hariri's "sacrifices" in the cabinet lineuppresented to President Michel Suleiman, stressing that "even thoughthe opposition was granted most of the service ministries....they areto blame for the delay in the government formation." Houri added that parliamentary consultations would take place "butwith different bases," especially the previously agreed 15-10-5cabinet formula, which grants the majority 15 ministers, theopposition 10 and the president five. "The old formula led us nowhere and cannot be adopted again,"Houri said. Hariri Monday submitted his proposed 30-member cabinet toSuleiman, but without the crucial approval of the opposition parties,including Hezbollah. Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naem Kassem said duringa Ramadan dinner that there were "rules" for Hezbollah's contributionto the cabinet formation. These, he said, were "a national unity government based on a 15-10-5 formula, participation of all parties within the opposition inthe future cabinet, and flexible dialogue and concessions during thecabinet formation." Druze leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that he would take part onlyin a national unity government, and would not be part of a "single-colored cabinet" that some parties were promoting. He stressed that the Lebanese should continue to uphold the 15-10-5 cabinet formula, especially after he was informed of calls by somemajority leaders that they want to banish the formula altogether. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/699613