Meetings held between top March 14 officials and former Premier Saad Hariri in Paris were aimed at finding ways to confront the new cabinet “after the constitutional coup entered its second stage,” said a high-ranking official in the coalition on Tuesday.

The March 14 forces had said that the collapse of Hariri’s cabinet in January was the result of a coup staged by Hizbullah and its allies. In remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper, the official considered the formation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government as the second stage of the coup.

President Michel Suleiman has said the containment of the deadly clashes in the northern port city of Tripoli last week were “a sign that the cabinet is capable of preserving stability,” stressing that its lifespan depends on the level of its performance.

In his first interview after the formation of Premier Najib Miqati’s government, Suleiman told An Nahar daily published Tuesday that the Tripoli “test succeeded in (enabling the cabinet) to hold a grip on the security situation."

The Phalange Party stated on Monday that the clashes in Tripoli would not have erupted had the Lebanese parties maintained their neutrality regarding the developments in Syria.

It said in a statement after its weekly politburo meeting: “It’s unfortunate that Syria is maintaining its negative policies towards Lebanon instead of tackling its accumulating internal affairs and introducing reform before it’s too late.”

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas stated on Monday that OGERO Telecom General Manager Abdul Monhem Youssef’s days in the Lebanese state are numbered.

He said during the launching of a free internet service at the Sioufi park in Beirut: “He tried to obstruct the functioning of the Telecommunications Ministry, but we succeeded in providing this service in Sioufi park.”

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour informed on Monday United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of Lebanon’s opposition to the agreement between Cyprus and Israel over the establishment of an economic zone between them.

He said in a letter to Ban: “The agreement is a violation of Lebanon’s sovereign and economic rights, endangering the security of the region.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated on Monday that even though the international community has focused its attention on the developments in the Arab world and negotiations between Palestine and Israel, the real danger in the region comes from Iran,

Confronting this danger should be a priority for Israel’s foreign policy, he added.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on Monday for the launch of a “serious investigation” into Friday’s clashes in Tripoli “instead of wasting time in laying blame on each other.”

He said before reporters that the final solution to this issue lies in making Tripoli a weapons-free city.

A ministerial-security meeting was held on Monday morning under Prime Minister Najib Miqati to address the situation in the northern city of Tripoli in the aftermath of Friday’s clashes.

The meeting was attended by Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, and Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said he backs calls for announcing Tripoli an arms-free city, stressing he does not differentiate between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh districts which witnessed armed clashes on Friday.

“The situation in Tripoli is under control,” Miqati told As Safir daily published Monday. “The Lebanese army is playing its full role on the ground in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces.”

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan’s resignation dispute after the formation of the government is likely to end through the nomination of his brother-in-law Marwan Kheireddine to replace him, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Monday.

Sources told the newspaper “since the portfolios have been occupied and there’s no chance to replace any minister after being done with the handover ceremonies in all ministries,” Kheireddine is likely to replace Arslan as minister of state.