General Aoun continues to be the obstacle , just like he was during the presidential elections . He always wants a disproportionate share . PM Siniora made it clear Tuesday through his adviser that the representation of the Christian community within the cabinet should be balanced between three pillars : Aoun, March 14 and the president
Tuesday
01:20 Al Akhbar : The meeting between MP Saad Hariri and the president included a dinner at the Republican palace . Hariri contacted Siniora from the palace and this resulted in Siniora agreeing to contact gen. Aoun to discuss the most recent offer on his share in government
23:40 Saad Hariri after meeting the president : Hope that the government will be formed soonest possible . This delay is hurting the country. The delay has been caused by disagreement over the allocation of certain ministries .
We talked about the security issue also and we both agreed that this is the responsibility of the state and the army
23:26 The meeting continues till this hour between MP Saad Hariri and the president
22:49 MP Houri told LBC that the majority has offered many concessions to facilitate the formation of the cabinet and we look forward for the national dialogue that will be chaired by the president and to discuss the defense strategy
22:35 MP Saad Hariri arrived at the Baabda Palace to meet with the president
21:45 General Aoun told voice of Noor": we rejected the offers given to us because we considered them unfair and they accuse us of creating obstacles
21:18 Ban - Ki Moon urges Israel and Lebanon to use the opportunity that Doda accord provided to seek permanent peace
20:44 The gas station that was set on fire today belonged to John Costantine . tens of cars were set on fire and several houses and buildings in the area were damaged . The Civil defense extinguished the fire and helped evacuating the injured people
20:30 Minister Haddad : the cost to the government of the subsidy of the flour / bread will exceed $50 million
20:03 MP Robert Ghanem: There is no explicit provision in the constitution that sets deadline for the formation of the government> there is obviously a decision to obstruct the government and the new presidential era .
19:50 The Red Cross have transferred an unspecified number of citizens to hospitals near the karm el Zaitoon area, all of whom were wounded when the electric generator near the Constantine Gas Station in Ashrafieh caught fire this afternoon. The Civil Defense forces have put out the fire, and several cars were severely damaged.
19:46 PM Siniora met with Marwan Hamade the Minister of Communications and chaired a meeting to discuss ways to combat the fires that are taking place in Lebanon
19:08 The Beirut Criminal Court postponed the trial of a person accused of theft and forgery
18:55 Huge Fire erupted in a gas station in karm el Zaitoon in Ashrafiyeh , east Beirut The civil defense firefighters rushed to the station to extinguish the fire . The fire was caused by the burning of the electric power generator . Several cars that were parked at or near the station caught fire and several people were injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment
18:41 Geagea: "We welcome the return of the prisoners from Israeli jails with reservation about the absence of the Lebanese state from the negotiations and regret the lack of attention to the issue of prisoners in the Syrian prisons "
16:59 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to hold a press conference at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. He will be talking about the prisoner exchange with Israel
15:30 President Sarkozy will meet with president Assad on July 12 on the eve of the Mediterranean summit which will call for unity over Lebanon
15:06 Prime Minister Siniora's office: The release of any prisoner is a joy and success of Hezbollah and is a condemnation of Israel and its policy
15:01 "LBC": the atmosphere at the Serail is dominated by wait and see attitude and there Is no indication the government could be formed within the next 48 hours birth of the government within 48 hours
14:36 Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud said that Lebanon will prevail over those wishing it harm. Evil cannot defeat good "We only want for Lebanon to be independent and stable,"
14:30 Mikati: "The government will be formed sooner or later but the question is what, after forming the government will we be facing more problems such as the ministerial statement and the election law ?
14:10 International Committee of Red Cross: "We have not received any communication regarding the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hezbollah . we are fully prepared to carry out such a humanitarian duty in the event we are asked to do so
14:00 Geagea: No disagreement within March 14 . Gen. Aoun's insistence on a greater share in this government with the backing of Hezbollah and their project is obstructing the formation of the government
13:55 Lebanese source told "KUNA:" If a government is not formed within the next few hours and a maximum of July 12 then the trouble could escalate because some concession that were made earlier could be upheld
13:40, Minister of Defense extended the validity of permits to carry certain weapons within the special character and diplomatic status From June 30, 2008 until July 31 , 2008
13:30 The Seismic and Scientific Research center reconfirmed that it does not expect any major earthquake in Lebanon and asked to ignore the information coming from Israel and the media on an imminent earthquake , since there is little scientific evidence to support it and said the current situation does not require any special procedures. This was in response to the panic caused by Israeli reports about an imminent quake along the border between Lebanon and Israel. Many people refused to stay inside their homes and slept outside
13:00 Gemayel: "We reject the sovereignty of a private group at the expense of the national sovereignty . Such private groups are the crux of the problem in Lebanon" ( in reference to Hezbollah state within a state behavior )
12:00 minister Qabbani: We hope that the Lebanese will succeed in forming the government because this will lead to peace in the country and will underline our commitment to the Doha agreement
11:30 former PM Mikati discuss the security situation in the north with President Suleiman and asked him to ensure that the army is more strict in enforcing law and order to improve the security situation
11:23 MP Antoine Zahra: The formation of the government ensures balance. The president and the premier designate know very well how to ensure this balance and will not allow any blackmail ahead of the upcoming legislative elections. The Lebanese Forces have supported the president taking two sovereign ministries. Balance means that the LF and the Qornet Shehwan Gathering get an equal share to General Michel Aoun and his Christian allies
11:02 Soaid from Bkirki: Accused Hezbollah of hampering the formation of the government, in order to delay the debate over its weapons and strategic defense. "With every passing day without progress, Hezbollah is winning extra time in postponing the discussion of its weapons," he said
10:00 "Al Rai ( opinion ) ": According to visitors to Syria , the Syrian officials are accusing Saudi Arabia of playing a passive role in Lebanon and are behind the delay in the government formation .
09:45 sources " Al Rai (opinion)": Syria asking for a special price from Saudi Arabia to facilitate the formation of the government in Lebanon
08:30 Minister Fatfat: "There is one obstacle and it is "Gen. Aoun", who continues to set progressive conditions. No one knows what he really wants . Is he doing this to obstruct the formation of the government or to undermine the new president ?"
07:40 Hanan Ashrawi told Voice of Lebanon: The Palestinians are guests in Lebanon and for this reason they will not be security threat for Lebanon , on the contrary they will play a stability factor
07: 36 Al Ain village : 2 people were killed and 8 were injured Monday in a dispute between a person from Arsal and a Syrian national . Raifah Saleh (52) , a Lebanese woman was first killed and 5 others wounded in this village of Al Ain , which is located on the road linking Baalbeck and Homs in Syria. One of the wounded was Youssef Jaafar( 47) the Mukhtar (head of the village) of Al Ain. The ambulance that was transporting the Mukhtar was shot at by a an armed group . The army pursued the source of the gunfire and killed one of the gunmen and wounded another . 2 of the army troops were also wounded
07:13 al Akhbar : president Suleiman is pressing for the acceptance of the Aoun's demands but there is opposition for the March 14 Christian leaders
06:56 Mo'een Hamzeh head of the Bhannes Center for Seismic and Scientific Research told as Safir : We do not have information that proves the predictions of Israel of an imminent earthquake in Lebanon and we do not want to scare the people about this matter, but on the other hand our responsibility forces us to tell the authorities to be ready for such an occurrence and to take the proper precautions to minimize the damage in the event of an earthquake
06:28 a reliable opposition source told As Safir : The most recent contacts within the opposition confirmed the requirements of the opposition and agreed that General Aoun's demands for participation should be balanced and for this reason he is open to offers on this basis
05:31 An Nahar : an offer was offered to Aoun in which he can chose either the public works or the communication ministry with the right to approve the person who will take the other ministry.
05:27 guests of president Suleiman say he is not pessimistic or concerned and never expected the formation of the cabinet to be a quick affair
05:22 The president would like the government to be formed before July 12 , the daye he is expected to travel to Paris to attend the Mediterranean conference . If the government is not formed by then , he may cancel the trip
05:17 Informed sources the forming of the cabinet is hinging on one or 2 portfolios and it is a matter of reaching agreement between Aoun and Siniora
Monday
00:27 The ambulance that was transporting the Mukhtar (head of the village) of Al Ain was shot at by a an armed group . The army pursued the source of the gunfire and killed of the gunmen
23:25 Mustafa Hashim told Future News: What General Aoun is doing is putting obstacles in the face of the new president , because right from the start he did not want the election of the President and the opposition wants the vacuum in order to keep Lebanon as a card in Iran's hand in the current regional crisis
23:00 NNA : Raifah Saleh (52) , a Lebanese woman was killed and 3 others wounded as a result of a family feud in the village of Al Ain , which is located in the Bekaa region on the road linking Baalbeck and Homs in Syria . The army and security forces immediately deployed in the area to maintain calm .
22:41 Future TV: Baabda palace sources said they hope the government will be formed asap and denied that reports that president Suleiman established a deadline for forming the government
22:10 UN Chief Ban Ki- Moon welcomed the agreement on the exchange of prisoners between Hezbollah and Lebanon and hopes this will be implemented soonest possible . He hopes this will lead to further implementation of other points in the UN resolution 1701 and the improvement of the security situation in the area
21:17 US State department ME office told Future TV: The exchange of prisoners between Lebanon and Israel is a Lebanese and Israeli internal issue and we have nothing to do with it. We are mainly concerned about maintaining a friendly relationship with the governments of Lebanon and Israel and the prospects of peace in the area
21:11 French sources told AKI: the meeting between the French FM Beranard Koucner with MP walid Jumblatt and minister Marwan Hemadeh in Paris has been postponed at the request of Jumblatt who prefers to remain in Lebanon to follow up on the developments regarding the formation of the new cabinet
Tags: Breaking News, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Lebanon Files, Qatar, Siniora, source: Now Lebanon, Suleiman, Ya Libnan
