Looking into the false witnesses issue once again is aimed at clearing the name of some political and security officials in order to pave the way for their running in the 2013 parliamentary elections, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday.

Political sources told the daily that the issue is also being used to prevent some people from running in the elections by supposedly involving them in the case.

The government is planning to release a group of 30 Islamists who have been held since the Nahr al-Bared clashes in 2007 without prosecution, An Nahar daily reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said that the move comes after the authorities released over the weekend Sheikh Nabil Rhim who was transported to the northern port city of Tripoli by a vehicle sent to him by Premier Najib Miqati.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Friday that the government has begun addressing all political, economic, and social matters, especially those that concern the people.

He said during his visit to the northern city of Tripoli: “We realize the size of the burden on the citizens’ shoulders and their daily suffering because of the increase in prices and their concern over the present and future.”

Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi slammed on Wednesday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s “inciting remarks” against Premier Najib Miqati and himself on Tuesday, saying they “will provoke people against each other in Tripoli and other areas.”

“We had hoped that Hariri would have attended the parliament sessions to grant cabinet confidence instead of talking about in Paris through statements that don’t reflect his position,” said his press office in a statement.

Switzerland said Tuesday it is dispatching a diplomat to the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi to open an office aimed at strengthening its ties with the Libyan National Transitional Council.

"By sending a special envoy to Benghazi, Switzerland is signaling its intent to strengthen its presence there, and to intensify its political relations with the Libyan National Transitional Council," said the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday that France had had "contacts" with the Libyan regime concerning the departure of leader Moammar Gadhafi but no real negotiations had taken place.

"There have indeed been contacts, but it has not turned into a real negotiation," he told France Info radio station. "The Libyan regime is sending messengers everywhere: to Turkey, New York, Paris," he said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati will keep top Sunni personalities in their “sensitive posts” despite previous campaigns by his allies to remove them for being close to former Premier Saad Hariri, ministerial sources said.

The sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published Monday that among the officials that Miqati intends to keep in their posts are General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and head of the Intelligence Bureau Col. Wissam al-Hassan.

Libyan rebels backed by NATO air power on Wednesday launched a promised assault on a key gateway to Tripoli, attacking positions just 50 kilometers from the capital.

Buoyed by French arms drops and NATO-led air strikes, the rebels attacked positions in the Gualish area, in the plains north of their enclave in the Nafusa Mountains southwest of Tripoli, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.

The Mustaqbal bloc criticized on Tuesday the dangerous proposals suggested by some members of the new government regarding Lebanon’s commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, warning against violating an issue of Lebanese national consensus.

It said in a statement: “The officials should be wary of backing down from the consensus, especially regarding the STL, because it will harm ties between the various Lebanese factions.”

NATO came under verbal fire again on Saturday from Moammar Gadhafi's regime, which accused it of killing 15 more people in strikes on civilian sites in the eastern city of Brega, a claim promptly denied by the alliance.

Meanwhile, three powerful explosions struck the eastern Tripoli suburb of Tajura, where a number of military installations are located, and columns of smoke could be seen from the center of the capital.