The former chief of the main opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun visited Beirut during the past two days “on a secret visit”, revealed al-Jadeed television on Thursday.

It said that he held talks with a number of Lebanese officials away from the media spotlight.

United Nations Special Coordinator Derek Plumbly paid a visit on Thursday to southern Lebanon, where he praised the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.

He said: “The strong cooperation that exists between UNIFIL, the Lebanese army and the local population is key to its success.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Thursday that Hizbullah and AMAL Movement do not protect or support any person who violates the law, adding that the issue of Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir’s open-ended sit-in will be resolved soon.

“Hizbullah and AMAL are against blocking roads and their ministers emphasized that the two groups will not provide political cover for any person who violates the law,” Charbel told LBC.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed on Thursday the latest security instability in Lebanon, most notably the unrest in Beirut, saying that any action on the ground is aimed at “undermining the authority of the state.”

He said in a statement: “The street action was not conducted by undisciplined forces as some sides would lead the people to believe, but some powers are orchestrating the developments in order to create chaos, terrorize the people, and undermine the state’s authority.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati admitted on Thursday that the security forces had adopted a lax approach in controlling the situation on the ground on Lebanon.

He said: “We had presented ample time for a calm and positive approach in this matter, but everything has a limit.”

Security forces are searching for a Lebanese-Austrian woman who was reportedly kidnapped after arriving in Lebanon on Monday, media reports said.

The National News Agency reported that the Baabda police station received a phone call on Tuesday on the 112 emergency hotline from mobile number 78-881299 in which a woman, who identified herself as Maria Sadeq, claimed she was kidnapped and assaulted by two people.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Thursday expected the cabinet to make diplomatic appointments next week to improve the performance of his ministry.

In remarks to al-Akhbar daily, Mansour said the draft bill on the diplomatic appointments will be referred to the general-secretariat of the cabinet within days.

Imam of Sidon's Bilal bin Rabah mosque Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir warned on Thursday that he would take escalatory measures as part of his open-ended strike if the issue of non-state arms were not resolved.

In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5), al-Asir said: “Our sit-in in Sidon is peaceful and civilized. It includes women, children and elderly.”

A one-month security plan launched by security forces on Wednesday requires 50,000 members if it were to be implemented the whole year, sources told As Safir daily.

“The worst part of it is that thousands of personnel are used as bodyguards for lawmakers, ministers, judges and embassies, which lead to a security drain,” the sources said in remarks published Thursday.

Members of parliament’s bureau refused to put an urgent draft-law on the allocation of LL11.561 trillion to cover the expenses of state institutions in 2012 on the agenda of a legislative session next week, An Nahar daily reported on Thursday.

A meeting held on Wednesday between the bureau’s members led to the rejection to put the cabinet’s bill on the agenda of the two-day parliamentary session next Monday, it said.