We examine the structure of the Levi component MA in a minimal parabolic subgroup P = MAN of a real reductive Lie group G and work out the cases where M is metabelian, equivalently where p is solvable. When G is a linear group we verify that p is solvable if and only if M is commutative. In the general case M is abelian modulo the center ZG , we indicate the exact structure of M and P , and we ...