to form the government
The president met Wednesday with 2 Hezbollah aides Al Hajj Hussein al Khalil and Wafik Safa . Following their discussions Khalil did confirm that a meeting is being arranged between Nasrallah and Hariri
For the first time in years Nasrallah speech Wednesday drew positive comments . MP Walid Jumblatt called the speech encouraging and contained many positive elements .
General Aoun continues to be the obstacle according to government sources. Many people expected to see white smoke after Aoun's son-in-law Gibran Bassil met with PM designate Fouad Siniora , and made encouraging remarks . Bassil said "the government could be formed within hours "
Thursday
22:15 US Ambassador Sison - We look forward to working hand in hand with the president and the new government and we are optimistic after the Doha accord of national political reconciliation that will benefit all the Lebanese people
21:45 Minister Haddad told LBC : Competition is the best means to reduce the prices in the market. The government is following up closely the price of bread and took decisions that are costing the state lot of money ( subsidy of the flour) . At Paris 3 we made moves to protect people with limited income
21: 10 Jumblatt emphasized during a speech at a Socialist International meeting in Greece the impossibility of normalizing Lebanese-Syrian relations before the Syrian regime's "categorical acknowledgment of Lebanese independence."
20:07 PM Siniotra received from chief editor of Lebanon Opportunities magazine 2 illustrations one briefly explains how Lebanon infrastructure was rebuilt after the destruction by Israeli war in 2006 and the other on the achievements at Paris 3 donor conference
19:10 French FM spokesman : We hope the implementation of the prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel will be executed asap to pave the way for complete implementation of UN SC Resolution 1701
1701
18:23 President Suleiman called Carindal Sfeir to congratulate him on the honoring of Patriarch Doueihi
18:02 Patriarch Sfeir received a letter from Father Qazi about the Pope's decision to honor Patriarch Stephen Doueihi
18:00 Oil soars to record near $146 amid concerns over hefty drop in US stockpiles, Iran conflict
17:43 MP Houri: The positive development during the past few hours is the insistence of the president on the formation of the government because he considers the obstacles by the opposition are directed against his presidency and him personally
16:30 Fares Soaid : I wish Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the same speech on August 14, 2006. He would have saved Lebanon 2 years of occupation, violence and tough talk. It took him 2 years to realize that dialogue is the only way for coexistence in Lebanon
15:20 Aoun : Elias el Murr should not be given a sovereign ministry that is considered the share of the majority . The game of distribution of the sovereign ministries is to make sure the Christians do not get the ministry of Finance
15:15 Grand Seraya sources: Nasrallah's speech opens the door of dialogue . The most important issue here is the readiness to discuss the critical issues without reverting to arms
15:10 LBC : Siniora is waiting for the response of Aoun following the discussions yesterday with Gibran Bassil
15:01 LBC: Nothing is certain about the birth of the government . The president is pushing in all directions to reactivate the discussions after the freezing of the talks between Aoun and Siniora
14:30 New TV: Baabda presidential palace sources are expressing optimism about the formnation of the cabinet within the coming few days and pointed out that the talks have reached a serious stage
13:35 Patriarch Sfeir will depart to Australia within hours to attend the World Youth Day (WYD), which is the largest youth event in the world and will be held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008. Pope Benedict XVI will be there too . WYD08 is organized by the Catholic Church, to bring together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith
13:15 Geagea discussed current development with the Qatar chargé d'affaires
12:50 MP Robert Ghanem from Bkirki: The cause of delya in forming the cabinet is the lack of a united Christian front as a partner in the political life
13:17 Cardinal Sfeir told voice of Lebanon: "The people can no longer wait. The government must be formed as soon as possible ..the delay is not good sign ...some politicians are asking for a bigger share than they are entitled ...there is foreign interference ."
Welcomed the agreement on the release of POWs
11:55 MP Ibrahim Kanaan to NTV: There is real progress being made in the course of negotiations over the establishment of the new government, but so far, they have not reached the expected solution.
11:49 Twenty-two year old Amira Fadel was found in the back seat of a Honda sedan in the Al-Qassimiyah area of Sur. She was shot in the stomach but is still alive.
11:24 MP Nabil Nicolas of the Change and Reform bloc to ANB Television: The Christian Gathering [launched from Rabieh] is not a move to isolate ourselves. It is a continuity of the Synod that was established by late Pope Jean-Paul II over Lebanon. The gathering is not directed against Baabda or Bkirki.
11:05 MP Fouad al-Saad to NTV: Those who are betting on directing a blow to MP Walid Jumblatt through the release of Samir Kantar are mistaken and delusional. The situation in the Mountain is well known, and it is quasi unified around its leader, Jumblatt.
10:30 Voice of Lebanon radio station: Concussion grenades exploded early today in Bab al-Tabbaneh in the city of Tripoli, resulting in material damages.
09:15 A security source told AFP that Lebanese shepherd Abdullah Mahmoud Zahra, who was kidnapped yesterday by the Israeli army after it crossed the Blue Line to the Lebanese side of the Shebaa Farms, was released around midnight and handed to UNIFIL, which in turn handed him over to the Lebanese army.
08:44 Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh told Voice of Lebanon: I am cautiously optimistic: MP Saad Hariri's initiative from Baabda, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's , MP Walid Jumblatt's stance, Rabieh and the Grand Serail renewal of talks are all positive signs. Let's hope that President and PM Siniora will be successful in establishing the government soonest possible.
07:17 A Jund al-Sham member was wounded during military clashes with Fatah members overnight at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp in South
07:09 new ideas were discussed betwen PM Siniora and FPM's Gibran Bassil . Siniora is awaiting a response from Gen Aoun
06:54: Gen aoun sources: we were surprised by the positive attitude of PM Siniora . Many portfolios were discussed and there was no veto from him on any of the portfolios.
06:32 MP Walid Jumblatt called Nasrallah speech "encouraging and contained many positive elements "
06:26 "As Safir ": the prime minister intends to participate formally in the reception of the returning POWs and the remains of those killed in action
06:25 Siniora sources praised Hezbollah leader speech as positive and hoped this positive tone could lead to the full implementation of the Doha accord .Official response will follow later
06:06 a well-informed political source spoke of a plan by the government to make the return of POWs a national holiday and a huge celebration
06:02 President Michel Suleiman advised Hezbollah that he wishes to participate in the reception of the freed prisoners and congratulated Hezbollah on this achievement, which reinforces the unity of the Lebanese
05:57 Christian sources told "As Safir " that they will deal "positively with flexibility and openness with the speech of the Secretary General of" Hezbollah "Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his call for dialogue," emphasizing that weapons should be kept outside the domestic equation.
05:53 "As Safir ": visitors of the president relayed his strong interest in the formation the government before he travels to Paris to participate in the Mediterranean summit
05:27 "An-Nahar": the "Free Patriotic movement " reported that there is a new and positive atmosphere and open debate on more than one issue. This is perhaps what prompted Gibran basil to declare the government will be formed within hours after meeting with PM Siniora
05:25 "An-Nahar:" Nasrallah's aides relayed tp president Suleiman the full support of Hezbollah for his efforts in trying to resolve the government formulation and offered to help and readiness in facilitating his mission
Wednesday
23:38 Israeli army detained a Lebanese shepherd inside the blue line in Shebaa farms area hours after Hezbollah's Nasrallah speech
22:59 MP Bahiah Hariri : The resistance against the Israeli enemy is a Lebanese tradition for which we all paid a high price but is one of the issues that unite us
22:43 Jund el Sham and Fatah gunmen clash in Ein el Helweh Palestinian refugee camp around 9:30 PM local time. According to NNA the clash erupted when Jund al-Sham fighters raided a Fatah position at the camp's upper entrance. No casualties were reported
21:59 Abbas Hashem: the philosophy behind the Doha accord wa to create a partnership between the powerful. It identified the ministry of interior as neutral and identified five ministries as sovereign: Foreign affairs, Interior, defense, Finance and Justice
21:56 MP Samir Franjiyeh: What Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said could open the doors for things to return to normal and if we deal positively with what he said we could transform the liberation of the prisoners into national wedding for all the Lebanese
19:52 PM Siniora chaired a meeting of the earthquake committee and discussed the situation with the insurance companies and the industrial companies
19:51 At least 3 killed and several wounded ( including 2 Syrian workers ) when an old building collapsed in Sahel el Tal Tripoli
19:43 MP Mukhaiber met with the British ambassador and discussed the situation in the country
19:24 MP Saad Hariri met the Mufti of Tripoli Sheikh Malek al Shaar to discuss the situation in north Lebanon
18:48 President Suleiman received an Augusta Westland 139 Helicopter as a present from the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al Thani as part of a military package that Qatar is donating to Lebanon
16:30 France: Hezbollah has a major role in the internal Lebanese politics and we will judge based on its behavior
16:15 Siniora met British ambassador, father Sahyouni and a delegation from Munayeh that came to ask for compensation for the damages that occurred during the Nahr el Bared battle between the army and fatah al Islam terrorists
15:50 Minister Khalifa there is tyotal coordination between the ministry of health and the hospital in the event Lebanon is hit by any major earthquake
15:00 FPM's Gibran Bassil: The coming few hours could witness the birth date of the new government if the majority will make as many concessions as we did
15:06 LBC : Government Sources revealed that General Aoun's insistence on the ministry of public works and communications continues to be the main obstacle facing government formation. Siniora is opposed to Aoun's demands because he considers it unbalanced
15:00 FPM's Gibran Bassil is currently meeting with PM designate Siniora at the Grand Serail
Tags: Breaking News, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Lebanon Files, Qatar, Siniora, source: Now Lebanon, Suleiman, Ya Libnan
