Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted on Thursday that the Lebanese government is doing all it can to demarcate the Lebanese-Israeli border, overlooking that fact that Lebanon is also bordered by Syria and Cyprus.

He said before a delegation of Zahle bloc MPs that the government should completely maintain the people’s interests by demarcating those borders as well and not simply direct its attention to one side “because of ideological reasons.”

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji held talks on Thursday with U.S. Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs for the Middle East at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General John Charlton, the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

Qahwaji and Charlton discussed sustained military cooperation between the two countries and Lebanon’s initiative to implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, it said.

The Lebanese army seized on Thursday goods hidden in five small trucks for the purpose of smuggling them to Syria through the town of Deir al-Ashaer, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said a Lebanese army patrol made the discovery on the Kfarqouq-Yanta road in Rashaya.

Former Premier Saad Hariri could meet with Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat as part of meetings between Lebanese officials, informed political sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily on Thursday that meetings between Lebanese leaders and politicians could take place on the sidelines of a social occasion in Paris.

March 8 forces are holding onto their stance refusing to pay Lebanon’s dues to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday.

Sources told the daily that the funding of the STL, that is expected to be tackled by the cabinet soon, will not be approved whether it was discussed during a session or away from the media spotlight.

Bkirki spokesman Walid Ghayyad said on Thursday that the media exaggerated the Syrian delegation’s visit to the seat of the Maronite church, noting that the visit was set after Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi was elected.

He told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that the developments in Syria “postponed the visit,” stressing that the discussions “focused on religion to bring sects closer.”

Hizbullah condemned on Thursday what it called “repressive” acts against Shiite protestors in Bahrain that resemble the “terrorist measures” adopted by the U.S. at the Guantanamo detention camp and Iraq’s Abu Ghreib prison.

“Hizbullah reiterates its condemnation of the crimes committed by Bahraini authorities,” the Shiite party said in a statement. “It stresses its support for the Bahraini people and its legitimate demands.”

Premier Najib Miqati has denied that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had warned him about certain measures on Lebanon if Lebanese authorities reject U.N. Security Council action against Syria over its violent crackdown on protestors.

“First there was no warning and second we don’t need any warning because no one knows Lebanon’s interest better than us,” Miqati told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in an interview published Thursday.

March 14 led-opposition leaders have held a meeting at Center House to discuss the local situation and to coordinate their stances concerning the upcoming stage, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

The meeting was held on Tuesday in the presence of Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, head of the Mustaqbal bloc former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MPs Butros Harb and Marwan Hmadah and March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid, the daily said.

Speaker Nabih Berri is scheduled to travel to Iran on Friday and later visit Armenia where he will discuss bilateral ties, media reports said.

On Thursday, Berri urged officials to launch efforts to drill for oil and gas in Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, including the 870-square-kilometer area that Israel says is part of its waters.