Najib Mikati
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Turkey Says Escalation Harms Lebanese, Regional Stability

Turkey on Wednesday urged Lebanese factions for restraint in the country's political turmoil, warning of broader implications on regional stability.

"We call on all parties to refrain from violence and to act with common sense and within democratic legitimacy," a foreign ministry statement said, a day after protests against the appointment of a Hizbullah-backed premier turned violent.

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March 14 Rejects Cabinet that Tolerates Arms, Aims at Abolishing Tribunal

The March 14 general-secretariat announced on Wednesday its rejection of a future government that aims at abolishing the international tribunal and tolerating weapons.

“We won’t accept the cabinet because it will come to abolish the court and tolerate weapons,” said general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid.

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Miqati's New Government Faces Challenge of International Tribunal, Hizbullah Arms

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati, who has vowed to maintain national unity, will start consultations to form a new government after President Michel Suleiman appointed him Lebanon's new premier.

Miqati's appointment on Tuesday came amid a "day of rage" by fellow Sunnis who accused him of being a traitor to his sect and betraying former PM Saad Hariri.

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EU Urges Miqati to Seek 'Broadest Possible Consensus' in Forming Govt

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday called on Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati to seek the "broadest possible consensus" in forming his government.

"I trust that the formation of the government will take place in full compliance with the constitution. The Prime Minister-designate should seek the broadest possible consensus in forming his government, which is in the interest of the Lebanese people," Ashton said.

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Clinton Says 'Hizbullah-Controlled' Govt Will Affect U.S.-Lebanon Ties

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that a Hizbullah-controlled government in Lebanon would "clearly have an impact" on ties with the United States.

The comments came after Hizbullah-backed Najib Miqati was named Lebanon's prime minister-designate, giving the Iran- and Syria-backed armed group increased leverage in the deeply divided country to the anger of many Sunnis.

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Mustaqbal: Way Miqati was Appointed Made Him Imposed on the Lebanese

The Mustaqbal movement condemned on Tuesday the manner in which Najib Miqati was appointed prime minister-designate, saying: "It does not make him a consensual premier, but one that has been imposed on the Lebanese by Hizbullah."

It said in a statement read by former minister Jean Oghassabian: "This practice has destroyed what was left of Lebanon's free democratic system and the bloc affirms that democracy cannot be rectified through weapons."

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Miqati Says Only Committed to 'Protecting Resistance' after Hizbullah Nomination

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Tuesday rejected attempts to cast him as "Hizbullah's man" and said the dispute over a U.N. tribunal that brought down his predecessor could only be resolved through dialogue.

"Don't prejudge me or my behavior, please, especially the international community," the 55-year-old billionaire businessman told Agence France Presse in an interview at his Beirut home shortly after being appointed to form a new government.

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Protests Turn Violent in Lebanon: Demonstrators Torch Al-Jazeera Van, Attack Safadi's Office

Protests turned violent on Tuesday in Lebanon's Sunni bastion of Tripoli as frenzied demonstrators torched an Al-Jazeera van while protesting the likely appointment of a Hizbullah-backed premier.

Angry demonstrators set upon the vehicle, smashing the windshield and tearing down the satellite dish before setting it on fire.

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France Calls on Miqati to Form Govt 'via Dialogue, without Interference'

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati must form a new Lebanese government without outside "interference," France's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"It is essential that it is done within the framework of the constitution ... and reflects the independent and sovereign choice of the Lebanese people, without any interference and through dialogue," it said.

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Parliamentary Consultations Pick Up Tuesday amid Sunni Outrage

Parliamentary consultations to pick a new prime minister is scheduled to resume Tuesday amid calls for “peaceful” street protests as outgoing PM Saad Hariri’s Al-Mustaqbal Movement accused Hizbullah of staging a coup by imposing its candidate to head the next government.

Protests in support of Hariri broke out in Sunni neighborhoods across Lebanon after the first day of parliamentary consulations showed that former PM Najib Miqati was winning the battle against Hariri.

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