The relatives of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims in Syria's Aazaz held a protest on Monday near Turkish airlines offices in al-Azarieh building in downtown Beirut, threatening to stage an open-ended sit-in near the Turkish embassy in Rabieh.

“We will go ahead with our sit-ins near the Turkish airlines offices and we will stage an open-ended sit-in near the Turkish embassy when the weather improves,” Adham Zogheib, the son of one of the kidnapped men, told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Wednesday on a visit where he is set to meet with a number of Lebanese officials.

He is expected to meet with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and Premier-designate Tammam Salam, as well as March 8 and 14 camp officials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel telephoned President Michel Suleiman, lauding his role in preserving stability in Lebanon and hoping that a new cabinet would be formed soon, Baabda palace said Friday.

A presidential statement said that Merkel also expressed support to Lebanon's call for a U.N.-led international conference to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees.

The relatives of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims in Syria's Aazaz since May last year briefly erected on Friday a tent near Turkish airlines in al-Azarieh building in downtown Beirut, preventing employees from entering its offices.

On their second day of protests near the Turkish airlines offices, the families of the nine men called on President Michel Suleiman to take a firm stance concerning the matter and to press Turkish authorities to resolve this crisis.

President Michel Suleiman Thursday called on political factions in the country to commit to the Baabda Declaration, urging the Arab League and the United Nations to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.

"We must neutralize Lebanon from regional conflicts and I urge national leaders to show solidarity over what was agreed on in the Baabda Declaration,” Suleiman stressed in a speech he gave at Saint Joseph University, in an event commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of the college's Law School.

Lebanon's envoy to the United Nations Nawwaf Salam requested on Thursday sharing the burden of Syria's refugees with Arab states, confirming that no Syrians have been deported back to their country.

"The number of Syrians in Lebanon could reach 1.2 million by the end of 2013 and many Palestinian families are expected to enter Lebanon,” Salam warned at a U.N. Security Council session that discussed the situation of Syria's children in the midst of the country's conflict.

President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Sir David Baragwanath concluded on Thursday a four-day visit to Lebanon during which he met with a number of officials, during which he thanked them for the “generous” support Lebanon has shown to the tribunal, he announced in a statement.

He said: “We will ensure a trial that is fair, expeditious and conducted with full respect for the rights of the accused and due regard for the protection of victims and witnesses.”

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam stressed on Wednesday that he isn't holding onto the post, denying media reports about the distribution of portfolios.

“We seek for a cabinet whose members are not after personal gains,” Salam told his visitors.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that he is open to a “fair and just” solution over the formation of a new government, saying that it should not be unconstitutional.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “A neutral government that is being proposed is unconstitutional.”

General prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi denied on Tuesday that his office was behind the leaked information on the alleged witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 assassination case.

A statement released by his press office said Madi told visiting STL President Judge David Baragwanath and his accompanying delegation that “his bureau was not responsible for the leaked information because it was not in its possession.”