in speaking during this session and for this reason it is expected to last till Monday or possibly Tuesday. The session will be broadcast live on Lebanese TV stations
Friday
22:00 Parliament Speaker Berri adjourned the cabinet policy statement discussions until Saturday 10:30am.
21:30 MP Mohammad Jisr addresses the House of Parliament during talks on the ministerial statement.
19:56 Deputy Speaker Farid Makari addresses parliament: We should learn from the mistakes of the past and try to improve . The Lebanese people deserve to live in a stable and secure environment . The cabinet, the parliament and all constitutional institutions need to win back the Lebanese people’s trust.
19:16 Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun addresses parliament: A classic army cannot defend a small country like Lebanon. We need two strategies: a classic defense strategy exerts authority inside Lebanon, and a resistance strategy defends Lebanon against foreign attacks.
19:14 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora requests the parliament grant the cabinet its vote of confidence.
18:15 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora addresses parliament: This government will work for national unity and work to restore national confidence in the government. The events our country witnessed over the past months and years, the wounds, the fear, lead us all to call for the end of violence, arms, threats … and the incitement of sensitivities… It also calls for forgiveness. The law, constitution, institutions must be respected … and we must seek to serve public interests...
18:10 Parliament convenes for discussion of ministerial statement before granting vote of confidence to national unity government.
18:08 MP Allouch had been invited by organizers of a protest in Tripoli (demanding the release from jail of Islamists) to make a speech but as he began to speak demonstrators hurled bottles and stones at him. Reports said he was hit by a stone and slightly wounded, but he later denied being injured.
18:07 Demonstration in Tripoli demands release of Islamist prisoners. 258 prisoners went on a hunger strike in Roumieh prison last Tuesday in protest of not having been granted a trial since their arrests.
15:25 Acting army chief General Masri discussed with the Indonesian ambassador the status of the Indonesian contingency at UNIFIL and the situation in Lebanon
14:48 The Minister of Communications approved the disbursement of 650 thousand dollars to strengthen the transmitters in south Lebanon
13:15 PM Siniora met Saudi ambassador Abdel Aziz Khoja after meeting former Jordanian PM
12:30 Interior minister issued a circular requesting strict measures be taken in the application of the provisions of law regarding traffic offences
11:45presidential adviser Nazem Khoury met several Lebanese leaders and today he met minister Bahia Hariri
11:40 PM Siniora met at the Grand serial former Jordanian PM Abd Assalam al Majali
11:05 MP Zahar told Future TV: the purpose of the Geaagea -Jumblatt meeting is to reconfirm the alliance and to discuss several issues including security and the Lebanese institutions
11:00 Taufic Hindi told LBC : The dialogue discussions is one of the basic constitutional responsibilities of the president and the dialogue should be continuous and the president should continue to chair it
10:40 Sujaan Qazzi told New TV : The parliament session for debating the ministerial policy statement will turn into a campaign platform and many will use it to expose their electoral campaign programs for the 2009 elections ...the public is going to feel cheated
10:34 Fatfat told Future TV: If DSyria will really recognize Lebanon as an independent and sovereign state , we will be the first that will call for friendly relations with Syria, but if the situation is not this way then we will definitely have a new problem with Syria
10:25 Michel Moussa told Future TV: president Suleiman will be the one that decides who should be invited to the dialogue talks and the agenda of the talks . These talks are very important and should be held soonest possible
09:46 Okaz: The vote of confidence meeting will be a heated session specially with regards to Hezbollah arms . Jumblatt's speech will be extremely important and will provide signals on the steps that should follow domestically
09:35 MP Hassan Fadlallah told al Rai: the ministerial policy statement confirmed the right of the resistance in defending and liberating the l;and but those that had reservations are against granting such rights to the resistance
08:42 Future MP Mustafa Allouch told Voice of Lebanon : The parliament’s discussion of the ministerial statement will be very difficult, especially concerning section 24, which deals with the Resistance, because the March 8 forces will stress on the victory of the logic of the Resistance and its course, while the March 14 forces will stress on the right of the state to lead the resistance and defend Lebanon.
08:10 Siniora has requested a legal team to study the legal implications in the event the Higher Lebanese Syrian council remains functional
07:51 A stun grenade was tossed last night at an army patrol in Tripoli. The grenade left a hole in the ground but did not result in any injuries
7:28 March 14 sources told pro Hezbollah newspaper Al Akhbar : The government will get the vote of confidence from the majority despite the reservations expressed by some members . We have achieved a political victory through the ministerial policy statement though it is incomplete
07:26 MP Robert Ghanem told the "Voice of Lebanon": I will be granting my vote of confidence to the government being a government of national unity but I will be checking on its performance . This government has to perform its duties to the citizens.
07:22 "As Safir ": a source of the "Free patriotic movement " expressed his confidence in winning again five seats in Kisrawan... it is too early to go into details of names ..he also confirmed that the communication continue with former Minister Fares Boueiz
07:16 The Syrian side has informed the Lebanese side about the existence of 43 Lebanese detainees in its prisons classified based on their criminal cases in addition to these there are the two administrative detainees . The Lebanese side is claiming that there are thousands missing and hundreds in Syrian jails
07:02 Presidential sources: The first meeting of the government after securing the vote of confidence will be headed by the president and will be dealing with security appointments and specially the appointment of the new army chief
06:54 As Safir sources: A committee is expected to be established to review all the Lebanese Syrian agreements in addition to the reactivation of the committee in charge of demarcation of borders with Syria, which is supposed to start demarcating the borders from the north to the south with the exception of the Shebaa farms area which is still occupied by Israel
06:43 Berri sources: a special session of the parliament will be held immediately after the vote of confidence is granted to the government . The session will last until October 15 th
6:20 Jumblatt called for forming a joint security field committee between Progressive Socialist Party and Hezbollah in the mountain areas to deal with security issues that could arise between both parties in the area. The committee will be security and not political and will be headed by MP Akram Chehayyeb from Jumblatt's side and Wafik Safa from Hezbollah 's side
06:00 An Nahar : March 14 is preparing a document on its vision of the Lebanese Syrian relations which it will present to the president before heading to Damascus
05:44 Baabda sources told An Nahar : The higher Lebanese Syrian council will continue%
Tags: Government
