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March 8: Cabinet Will Not Collapse Despite Sharp Differences

The cabinet is keen to maintain its unity despite the disputes among its members on vital issues, March 8 sources told al-Liwaa newspaper published Thursday.

“The government will not collapse despite the bickering and disputes among its members as it’s achieving the minimum amount of security and stability” in Lebanon, the sources said.

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Qabbani Vows to Question Bassil after Audit Bureau Report Fell in his Favor

The head of the parliamentary energy committee, MP Mohammed Qabbani, vowed on Thursday to question Energy Minister Jebran Bassil after he lamented that an Audit Bureau report on the red diesel scandal didn’t hold him accountable.

Qabbani told An Nahar daily that the Bureau’s representatives had informed members of the committee that they can’t hold Bassil accountable.

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Al-Mustaqbal Seeks to End Any Excuse to Reject a Spending Draft-Law

Al-Mustaqbal MPs Jamal al-Jarrah and Ghazi Youssef will propose an urgent draft-law to parliament on Thursday in an attempt to find a comprehensive solution to the extra-budgetary spending made by different governments since 2006 and end any excuse to reject their proposal.

An Nahar daily said that the lawmakers will push for a parliamentary approval of the $22 billion spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri and the current cabinet of Premier Najib Miqati.

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Nasrallah Tackles Latest Developments with Iranian Delegation

Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a meeting with an Iranian delegation headed by deputy head of the Iranian Islamic Council Mohammed Rida Bahunar.

The two sides tackled the latest developments in the region and the bilateral ties, according to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday.

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Spanish Paper Says Reporter in Lebanon after Fleeing Homs

Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa has arrived in Lebanon from Syria, his employer the El Mundo newspaper said Wednesday.

The correspondent, who survived a bombardment in Homs that killed American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik had "left Syria and was in Lebanon in perfect health", the newspaper wrote on its website.

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U.N. Chief Names Canadian Norman Farrell New STL Prosecutor

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday named Norman Farrell of Canada as the new prosecutor of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is probing the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Farrell takes over as chief STL prosecutor from another Canadian, Daniel Bellemare, whose three year mandate ended Wednesday. The court has charged four Hizbullah members over the assassination.

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Berri in Cyprus: Our Sea Resources Dispute is with Israel

Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday said Lebanon had concerns Israel might deny it “its right to more than 850 nautical square kilometers” in maritime resources, stressing that “the problem is not between Lebanon and Cyprus, but rather between Lebanon and Israel.”

During a joint press conference with his Cypriot counterpart Yiannakis Omirou in Cyprus, where he arrived Wednesday on an official visit, Berri said “the U.N. has recently become convinced that it has to intervene in order to resolve this issue,” referring to the disputed oil and gas resources.

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Gemayel from Rome: Israeli Rejection of Peace Contributes to Emergence of Extremism in Region

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel blamed on Wednesday Israel for the ongoing state of instability in the Middle East.

He said: “Israel’s rejection of peace is contributing to the emergence of extremists in the region.”

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Cameron Says Wounded British Journalist Safe in Beirut

Wounded photographer Paul Conroy was taken to Britain's embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut after he was smuggled out of the besieged Syrian city of Homs, Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday.

"I can tell the House that Paul Conroy is now safe," Cameron told parliament. "He has been in our embassy in Beirut in Lebanon, he has been properly looked after and I am sure that soon he will want to come home."

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March 14 Urges Parliamentary Defense Committee to Debrief Ghosn over ‘Insulting’ Remarks from Iran

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s statements from Iran, deeming them as insulting to the Lebanese people.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We demand that he clarify his statements and call on the parliamentary defense council to convene to question him.”

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