The cabinet met on Monday with no planned appointments of civil servants to state institutions on its agenda, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s sources told al-Mustaqbal daily.

The sources said the session that convened at the Grand Serail at 10:00 am is a continuation of the previous meeting to discuss the remaining 95 items on its agenda.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said on Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad seemed very “relieved” over the developments in Syria.

“Assad is determined to continue his reforms and confront the militants that are disturbing the security situation,” Mansour told As Safir newspaper.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Monday that he discussed with Turkish officials the situation in Lebanon, the events in Syria and the inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

In remarks to As Safir daily following his return from Turkey, Jumblat lauded the Turkish stance from all issues.

Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan on Sunday stressed that “no sect in Lebanon wants to eliminate the other sects.”

“The crises Lebanon has gone through … are political par excellence and cannot be blamed on a certain sect, religion or community,” said Qabalan.

Hizbullah on Sunday denied a French media report accusing the party of being involved in the killing of Syrian soldiers who had refused to shoot at anti-regime protesters.

Radio France has quoted a report that will allegedly be issued by a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) committee as saying that Iran and Hizbullah were involved in the killing of Syrian soldiers who had refused to obey orders to shoot at demonstrators.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stressed on Sunday Lebanon’s rejection of all attempts to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs.

He said after holding talks in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad: “Lebanon’s stability is linked to Syria’s stability.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Sunday that national dialogue would be resumed in Lebanon in order for all the concerned sides to reach an agreement on a national defense strategy.

He said while addressing President Michel Suleiman during his Sunday sermon: “We hope you will be able to fulfill your pledge of resuming dialogue.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stressed on Saturday that corruption should not be the norm in forming a new government in Lebanon.

He said during an FPM dinner in the Chouf region: “The state cannot be built without security, a fair judiciary, and adequate finances.”

Former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud has been appointed by the Tunisian authorities to oversee its parliamentary elections, reported al-Anbaa newspaper on Sunday.

It said that he was appointed to the post because he has enough experience in organizing elections seeing as he oversaw the staging 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections that included the supervision of a number of international monitors.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat may meet with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Paris, revealed a March 14 source to the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper on Sunday.

It said that he may hold the talks with the former premier in the upcoming hours before returning to Lebanon.