US hopes for Lebanon cabinet in 'coming days'

Expectations are currently high that a cabinet could be announced within the coming days. We certainly hope this is the case.

The United States hopes that Lebanon's political factions will agree on a cabinet "in the coming days" and looks forward to working with the new government, a top US diplomat said Wednesday.

- Expectations are currently high that a cabinet could be announced within the coming days. We certainly hope this is the case - said Jeffrey Feltman, acting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

Feltman's comments came in prepared testimony for delivery to the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee's subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

Lebanese held a general election five months ago, when voters opted for a coalition of parties led by Western- and Saudi-backed Saad Hariri, son of former premier Rafiq Hariri, assassinated four years ago.

Since late June, prime minister-designate Hariri has failed to form a government by bridging differences between his own bloc and the opposition, led by Syrian- and Iranian-backed Shiite party Hezbollah.

- The Lebanese people have waited too long for their government to return to the work of ensuring security, economic development, and political dialogue for all Lebanese citizens - said Feltman.

- We look forward to working with the next Lebanese government and reiterate that our support for Lebanese sovereignty will not be compromised by our engagement with any other party - said the diplomat.

The power vacuum was highlighted late on Tuesday when a rocket fired from Lebanon slammed into northern Israel and the Jewish state retaliated with an artillery barrage.

On Wednesday morning, the Lebanese army discovered four more rockets, primed and ready to be fired at Israel from the border village of Hula, the origin of the previous day's attack.

No one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday attack, the fourth this year, but Israel's eyes are bound to be on Hezbollah, with which it fought a 34-day war in 2006 that was disastrous for Lebanon.