The March 14-led opposition has said it would be useless to meet with the March 8 forces stressing that President Michel Suleiman should provide guarantees for a productive national dialogue before inviting for all party-talks at the Baabda palace.
High-ranking sources in al-Mustaqbal movement, the pillar of March 14, told As Safir newspaper Monday that the previous experience with dialogue was bad over the non-implementation of any decision reached between the conferees, including the international tribunal, the disarmament of Palestinians outside camps and the demarcation of the border with Syria.
Full StorySpeaker Nabih Berri said on Monday that he supports President Michel Suleiman’s announcement that he would re-launch the national dialogue, stressing the importance of all-party talks to “avoid all kinds of problems and disputes.”
“I am ready to participate again in the national dialogue… it plays a major role in calming people down and renders communication (between different parties easy),” Berri told As Safir newspaper.
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea denied that he had received a phone call from Baabda palace admonishing him for a stance that he had made lately.
In remarks to An Nahar daily from southern France, where he is vacationing with his wife, Geagea said that such a phone conversation did not take place.
Full StoryMaronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi celebrated mass in the presence of President Michel Suleiman at the St. Charbel monastery in Annaya on Sunday.
Al-Rahi thanked Suleiman for attending the mass, saying the president’s presence was a confirmation that he was holding onto with the tradition that he started in the first year of his term.
Full StoryPremier Najib Miqati intended to send a friendly message to the March 14 forces by hugging Fares Soaid, the coordinator of the coalition’s general secretariat, during a dinner hosted by the president at his hometown of Amsheet on Saturday.
A guest who attended the dinner banquet thrown by President Michel Suleiman in honor of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, told An Nahar daily on Sunday that Miqati first shook hands with Soaid and then hugged him in front of the cameras.
Full StoryThe agenda of Monday’s extraordinary cabinet session was distributed on Friday, with Abbas Ibrahim’s appointment as the head of General Security among is articles, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
Ministerial sources told As Safir newspaper Saturday that the appointment will be finalized once an agreement is reached on Christian appointments in state administrations.
Full StoryPresident Michel Suleiman is throwing a dinner banquet on Saturday in Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s honor on the occasion of his visit of the region of Jbeil, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.
Speaker Nabih Berri, his deputy Farid Makari, Prime Minister Najib Miqati his deputy Samir Moqbel, Papal Ambassador Gabriele Caccia, and a number of ministers, MPs, and heads of Christian parties, including Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun are also invited.
Full StoryInterior Minister Marwan Charbel said Friday that the seven Estonians were not held hostage at the Taybeh village following their kidnapping in March, but they were released there.
He told Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station that the Lebanese will “be informed about the details of the release operation later on… for the safety of the investigation.”
Full StoryThe Christian meeting that will take place Thursday at Bkirki under the sponsorship of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is expected to address the Christian appointments in the state institutions.
The appointments will be one of the highlighted issues discussed during the meeting aimed at bridging the gap between Christians.
Full StoryHizbullah ministers have informed several cabinet members that they were planning to propose a discussion on the controversial issue of false witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination case during cabinet sessions.
Ministerial sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published Tuesday that Ministers Mohammed Fneish and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan are planning to open up the subject during government sessions.
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