Except Shebaa farms since they are still occupied by Israel
Immediately after returning to Lebanon, President Suleiman held a private meeting with Premier Fouad Siniora and later chaired a meeting for the Highest Defense Council at the Baabda Palace.
The meeting of the Council is the first since the assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The council discussed the security situation in the aftermath of the Tripoli blast and gave the necessary recommendations and directions to the specialized authorities to safeguard national peace and stability, the secretariat general of the council said in a statement.
Friday
18:55 The national unity cabinet is holding its first meeting since parliament granted it the vote of confidence last Tuesday. The meeting is being chaired by President Suleiman in Baabda. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and all ministers are attending except Minister of Education Bahia Hariri and Minister of Defense Elias Al-Murr. The cabinet is discussing the national and regional situation, with particular focus on Wednesday’s explosion in Tripoli, and the decision to establish formal ties with Syria.
11:55 Fatfat told OTV": What has been achieved in the Lebanese-Syrian summit is an acceptable breakthrough but what is required is much more than that. Moallem's comments was negative with regards to the border demarcation. Nasrallah speech yesterday brought up new issues that we hope will translate into practical matters and not be just diplomatic talk
11:40 Qabbani told the "new TV": Establishment of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria is a positive step . As for the rest of the points were closer to the broad headlines. We must await the results because this is all that counts
11:30 MP Harb after his meeting with Patriarch Sfeir: The Lebanese were hoping to for decisions on the missing Lebanese and those in jail. Refer this issue to the Lebanese-Syrian joint committees is an old futile tactic that the Lebanese are tired of hearing
11:15 Ghazi Aad told "LBC": The Lebanese-Syrian joint committee that will work on the issue of missing persons lacks independence and it is not neutral . The committees of the parents of the missing and jailed Lebanese is not represented in the committee . We demand the adoption of proper mechanisms in to deal with this issue in accordance with international standards
11:00 Suaid told "LBC": How can we coordinate a Lebanese foreign policy with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict, if Hezbollah is imposing on Lebanon the combat role while Syria is negotiating peace with Israel ?
10:30 Alloush of "LBC": the agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria is the beginning and is a step in the right direction, however, our experience with the Syrian regime based on one step forward and one step backward
09:30 Damascus regime source close to Qabas: The bombing in Tripoli was a blow to security and the demands of the March 14 is a "political sabotage"
08:45 Nasser Nasrallah told the "Voice of Lebanon": required from the cabinet strong support for military and security forces not only in words but in action by providing them with the proper equipment and equipment and full political cover
08:30 Samir Franjieh told the "Voice of Lebanon": all the arguments given to the issue of weapons of the resistance does not apply to Tripoli and there is an unanimous decision that the army should be decisive in combating terrorism there . The Lebanese-Syrian summit is not a historic step but a visit for a negotiation between adversaries rather than reconciliation between brothers
08:30: MP Jisr told Voice of Lebanon: There are ongoing attempts to worsen the situation in Tripoli. The Lebanese army and security forces must intervene firmly and arrest the perpetrators. We must take all possibilities into consideration, because there are a lot of people who managed to escape from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.
07:29 The pro Syrian newspaper Al Akhbar accused former communication minister Marwan Hamadeh of offering many people closely associated with him free mobile phone lines "
07:08 Hariri told As Sharq al Awsat : We are not surprised that the country that is negotiating peace with Israel through Turkey is trying to keep Israel in Shebaa farms , by refusing to demarcate its border ( This was in reference to Syria's refusal to agree on demarcation of the Shebaa farms as long as it is occupied by Israel. Lebanon wants to diplomatically force Israel to withdraw from Shebaa )
06:57 The Tripoli explosion could be added to the cases being handled by the UN International Tribunal
06:29 President Michel Suleiman issued a decree calling for an extraordinary parliamentary session from Aug. 19 till Oct. 20
06:06 Jumblatt told As Safir:" Finally we have been able to implement the second clause of the agreement reached during the national dialogue talks of 2006 " Commenting on the agreement reached in Damascus to establish diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria
05:20 An Nahar : 3 soldiers wounded in the Tripoli explosion are still listed in very critical condition because they were seriously wounded. 15 people were killed in the explosion ( including 9 soldiers ) and 51 were wounded
05:50 "Al-Safir": High level sources said the two presidents Michel Suleiman and Bashar Assad agreed to establish proper relations between Lebanon and Syria. All major decisions to be discussed directly between both presidents , while other less important issues to be dealt with by the respective ministries of both countries.
05:40 international reactions to the agreement on establishing diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria has been positive . France, UN, Russia, US , Kuwait and many others commented positively about the the agreement . The US went a step further and called for the demarcation of the borders and for Syria to end its interference in Lebanon's internal affairs , by showing respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and independence
Thursday
23:30 The President will chair the special cabinet meeting tomorrow
22:54 Jisr on "LBC": Syria's relationship with Israel will change after the treaty agreement . sympathy towards the activity of Hezbollah and support are two different things . Arms smuggling is not only to Hezbollah but to other organizations as well ( Syria has other allies in Lebanon such as Palestinian Islamist groups, SSNP, Amal etc ) . It is not possible to have political and economic stability in the country without a stable security
21:10 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaks on the 2nd anniversary of the end of the July War: We call for the discussion of two major issues: a national strategy to rebuild the state - and this is not an invitation to change the Taif Agreement, and a national strategy to deal with the economic crisis. Our economic situation, if not adequately dealt with, will lead to disaster. All campaigns against the Resistance will lead nowhere, but will only increase the level of tension in Lebanon.
20:43 Iranian Foreign Ministry calls on all parties and political Lebanese groups to be aware of the enemy plots and to support unity and national reconciliation
20:09 "LBC:" There is a possibility of convening a special meeting of the cabinet tomorrow at 6:00 PM
19:41 Meeting between President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora begins at Baabda Palace.
Tags: Assad, Government, Hezbollah, March 14 Alliance, Prisoners, source: Now Lebanon, source: Ya Libnan, Suleiman, Syria
