The General Security received from Syrian authorities on Sunday two Italian technicians who went missing in Syria a few days ago.

The General Security announced in a statement that Oriano Cantari, 64, and Domenico Tedeschi, 36, were handed over to it after three days of coordination with the concerned powers.

Syrian renewed on Sunday its demand to Lebanon to prevent the infiltration of “terrorist groups” from its territories into its own.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem stated: “We hope Lebanon would help thwart the infiltration, which will benefit it and Syria.”

A number of officials from the southern city of Sidon announced on Sunday that they have decided to call off Monday’s general strike in order to make room for government efforts to end Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir’s sit-in in the city.

The head of the Sidon merchants association Ali al-Sharif made the announcement after the meeting of political, economic and religious officials.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged on Sunday the participants of the national dialogue to assume their “historic responsibilities” towards their country.

He called on them during his Sunday sermon “to heed President Michel Suleiman’s invitation to attend the national dialogue session where they can tackle all pending issues, which are at the heart of the chaos in our state institutions.”

One Lebanese citizen was wounded during the rocket fire that targeted al-Buqaia region in Wadi Khaled on Saturday, reported the National News Agency on Sunday.

The rockets fired from the Syrian side of the border landed in the areas near al-Kabir River in Akkar.

A reporter for the American publication, The New Yorker, succeeded in meeting one of the abductors of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims, who revealed his willingness to hold negotiations over their release.

The New Yorker quoted the kidnapper, Abu Ibrahim, as saying that the abduction was aimed at sending a message to Shiites to support the Syrian people, not the regime.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted that some Lebanese security agencies are receiving order from the Syrian regime, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

He told the daily: “The Syrian regime is as powerful as it ever was in Lebanon.”

Security agencies have received the complete telecom data of the Touch mobile phone service provider, revealed security sources to the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Sunday.

They are set to receive the complete data from Lebanon’s second provider, Alfa, in the upcoming hours, they added.

Calm has been restored in the northern city of Tripoli after the clashes of the past two days left over 20 wounded, including three soldiers, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

A source from the Army Command told the daily that the situation is under control, noting that Friday’s clashes are the culmination of tensions that had been mounting in Tripoli since the assassination of senior Syrian security officials on July 18, among other factors.

The army intelligence detained on Saturday a Lebanese citizen and a Syrian national who were transferring arms in Brital, the National News Agency reported.

According to NNA, Lebanese Ahmed D. is from the eastern border town of al-Tufail and the Syrian national from al-Kahloun family.