A meeting was held between Hizbullah and Progressive Socialist Party officials on Wednesday to set the stage for improved ties between the Shiite party leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and PSP chief Walid Jumblat, An Nahar daily reported.

Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is a PSP official, told As Safir newspaper on Thursday that the meeting came as part of dialogue between the two sides and keenness to improve bilateral relations.

Libya is ready to work with Lebanon to probe the mysterious disappearance of Shiite Imam Moussa al-Sadr who went missing upon arrival in Tripoli in 1978, an official said Wednesday.

The ruling National Transitional Council was "ready to form a joint commission with the Lebanese to investigate" what happened to Sadr, said Fathi Baja, head of political affairs at the NTC.

A meeting for the price index committee called by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas failed to reach an agreement on a wage hike plan on Wednesday.

Along with Nahhas, the four-hour meeting at the labor ministry building was attended by the representatives of the Economic Committees, the General Labor Confederation, the Syndical Coordination Committee and the Central Administration of Statistics.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel telephoned on Wednesday Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb of the Azhar mosque in Egypt, praising him on the Azhar’s bill of rights on basic liberties that was published on Tuesday.

Gemayel said in a statement: “The historic document included the general values that need to be followed in the Arab revolts and in the regimes that would be established as a result of these revolts.”

Speaker Nabih Berri hoped on Wednesday that efforts will be speeded up in petroleum excavation in order for Lebanon to move on to the drilling phase.

He said during his weekly meeting with MPs at Ain al-Tineh: “The sooner we begin the excavation, the sooner we begin to seriously tackling the country’s economic and financial problems.”

Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun noted on Wednesday that attempts to create strife are taking place in Syria, praising President Bashar Assad’s efforts to implement reform.

He hoped that the “Syrian people would be diligent enough to thwart the strife.”

The Shura Council approved on Wednesday the new wage hike proposal made by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas on condition of introducing amendments to it.

The Council conditioned some modifications to the decision that was submitted by Nahhas, who didn’t put his proposal to vote at the cabinet yet.

Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Wednesday a former employee with state-run telecom operator Ogero with spying for Israel, the National News Agency reported.

NNA, which did not identify the man, said Saqr charged him for allegedly meeting with Israeli officers abroad and providing them with information on the telecom sector in return for money.

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech on Tuesday, urging the international and Arab communities to take action to halt the regime’s ongoing crimes.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The Lebanese government should distance the country from the Syrian crisis after Assad’s speech hinted at more violence on the internal scene.”

The Lebanese army intelligence has arrested a group of Syrian and Lebanese men at a checkpoint that lies between Akkar and Hermel, MP Moeen al-Merehbi told Naharnet on Wednesday.

The Akkar lawmaker said the arrest was made at al-Rouwayma checkpoint on Tuesday as the men were heading to Syria through the eastern border town of Arsal following their hospitalization in northern Lebanon.