1.   Russian stocks were little changed, as the announcement of most of the cabinet came after the market had closed.

2.   The Cabinet meeting came a day before Netanyahu was to leave for Paris to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to discuss the upcoming pullback.

3.   The formation of the new Cabinet came two weeks after Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, was picked by President Elias Hrawi for a third term as prime minister.

4.   His formal entry into the cabinet came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the United States where officials see Sharon as an obstacle to the peace process.