The crisis, the biggest threat to Lebanon's stability since the civil war, hit a crunch point last month when fuel shortages brought much of the country to a standstill, triggering numerous security incidents, adding to Western concern and warnings of worse to come unless something is done. To secure foreign aid, the government must succeed where its forerunners have failed in enacting reforms to address the root causes of the crisis, including state corruption.
It may not have long: parliamentary elections are due next spring and Mikati said these should take place on time. Mikati and President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, signed the decree establishing the government in the presence of Nabih Berri, the Shi'ite Muslim speaker of parliament.
Mikati said divisive politics must be set to one side and that he could not engage in talks with the International Monetary Fund if he encountered opposition at home.
He pledged to seek support from Arab countries, a number of which have shunned Lebanon because of the extensive influence wielded in Beirut by the heavily armed, Iran-backed Shi'ite Islamist group Hezbollah, which is allied to Aoun. Addressing the daily hardships, Mikati described how mothers had been forced to cut back on milk for their children.
Referring to medicine shortages, he said: "If a mother's eldest son leaves the country and she has tears in her eyes, she can't buy a Panadol pill. But Lebanon can no longer afford to subsidise goods such as imported fuel because the country does not have enough hard currency reserves, he said.
Aoun said the government was the best that could be agreed and capable of action. Finance Minister Yousef Khalil 8. Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh 9. Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada Labor Minister Mostafa Bayram Education Minister Abbas Halabi Telecommunications Minister Johnny Qorm Tourism Minister Walid Nassar Information Minister George Kordahi Justice Minister Henry Khoury Energy Minister Walid Fayyad Defence Minister Maurice Slim Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar Youth and Sports Minister George Kalas Administrative Development Minister Najla Riashi only female minister Industry Minister George Bojkian.
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