Sources that will participate in the talks told As Safir : Until now there is no confirmation that the leaders will attend with their aids...they will attend on their own like the first round . The third round could face obstacles if the issue of the expansion of the participants is not resolved.

Visitors to Speaker Nabih Berri were told that if the participation in the dialogue talks are to be expanded then this should be based on a formula. For instance the 2006 talks were based on rule 14 meaning each 4 parliament members should be represented by 1 member. Hezbollah is trying to push for the expansion of the participation while March 14 is totally opposed to the idea.

In other developments:

- Hezbollah Political Council member Ghaleb Abu Zeinab denied the rumors of an assassination attempt on the life of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Secretary-General of Hezbollah and called the rumors malicious fabrications and imagination that only serve the interests of Israeli intelligence. Rumors circulated yesterday that Nasrallah was poisoned

- The controversy over the job description of the Deputy Prime Minister continues. Deputy PM Issam Abu Jamra met last night with PM Siniora who promised to meet him again today to try to resolve the issue but within the constitution. Many politicians are accusing Gen Aoun of using Abu Jamra as a diversion tactic to cover up for the criticism of his trip to Tehran .

Friday

20:50 Former Minister Michel Samaha does not want his name mentioned as a possible nominee for the first Lebanese ambassador to Syria because he intends to run in the 2009 parliamentary election with the support of the Syrian regime. Syria had sent mediators to Change and Reform leader MP Michel Aoun to encourage him to add Samaha to the bloc’s voting list. However, the source added that Aoun had replied that he was not ready to comply with the request, and told Samaha that he wanted Pierre Maalouf to run for the Catholic parliamentary seat instead. The source said that the issue was still under discussion, with Samaha insisting on running in the election with support from Damascus.

20:38 Final Report on Hariri assassination to be released next November. According to Naharnet, the report “will not point to any defendant, witness, or concerned individual related to the investigation from near or far… no names will be disclosed by the
Commission throughout the duration of its mandate.”

16:41 Former Minister Michel Samaha will soon meet with President Michel Sleiman at Baabda, upon the latter’s request.

15:39 Marada Movement leader and former Minister Sleiman Franjieh on Friday said that reconciliation required “spirit and flavor,” which Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea lacked. After meeting with a delegation from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party on Friday, Franjieh responded to LF accusations that he was pressured by Syria to change his position, saying, “It is Pakistani pressure, because the Pakistani president has become a Shia and for this [reason] pressure came this time from Pakistan?”

14:40 U.S. ambassador Michele Sison said after meeting LF leader Samir Geagea: "Serious efforts" are underway to secure an Israeli withdrawal from the western side of Ghajar.

14:30 Lebanon President Michel Sleiman is to visit Tehran late November. Sleiman is also to chair a cabinet meeting in Baabda next Tuesday, according to sources in the cabinet.

13:45 Gratsiano: We are closely watching the situation in the south.

13:30 The Lebanese army opened the Bahsas-Tripoli road, ending a security dragnet that was carried out following the bomb attack that targeted a military vehicle.

13:20 President Suleiman discussed the situation with Abu Jamra and Saniora, Khoja and British ambassador Francis Mary Guy.

13:16 PSP secretary Shareef Fayyad said from Ain el-Tineh: Contacts between AMAL and PSP have made progress. A meeting between Jumblat and Hizbullah will come at the appropriate time.

13:10 Saniora: We are in dire need for calming tensions and not escalations. Deputy PM powers remain under considerations for cabinet discussion.

12:34 PM Fouad Siniora meets with Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdul Aziz Khoja at the Grand Serail.

12:29 MP Antoine Zahra to OTV:
- The deputy premier is known to replace the prime minister during his absence.
- There is propaganda that aims to portray Samir Geagea as a killer and others as peaceful angels
- There is no disagreement between the LF and Phalange Party
- LF leader Samir Geagea’s recent apology did not apply to current political figures such as Wiaam Wahhab and Nasser Kandi. It applied to the period where all the people of Lebanon were carrying weapons against each other
- MP Michel al-Murr dealt with Geagea’s apology in ethical way and we highly appreciate his position
- It is still too early to consider Sleiman Franjieh a national leader because he represents a certain area, and his ongoing attempts at including the Maronites with those four leaders will not succeed

11:45 A meeting is underway between AMAL Movement cadres and a delegation from Walid Jumblat’s PSP in Ain el-Tineh.

11:40 Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra said after meeting with PM Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail, in the presence of Minister Ibrahim Shamseddine, that he had reached agreement with Siniora on how to define his authorities and powers. PM Siniora in turn said that raising this issue during the cabinet meeting was still under study and called for calming the situation instead of increasing tensions.

11:39 A meeting is underway between PM Fouad Saniora and his deputy Issam Abu Jamra in the presence of minister Ibrahim Shamseddine at the Grand Serail.

10:51 Speaker Nabih Berri will meet a delegation of the Progressive Socialist Party.

08:39 Abillama told Al diar: We want to shift the conflict from being a security conflict to a political and democratic conflict. The new demands by Marada are a proof that they are trying to complicate the reconciliation issue

08:24 Maroni told "Voice of Lebanon": The Shebaa Farms are a Lebanese concern that unites the Lebanese. ( former president ) Gemayel has already briefed ( Speaker ) Berri about an initiative that could resolve the issue

08:21 MP Habib told al Diyar: Both Aoun and Franjieh are working to create chaos, riots and to aggravate the situation. The Lebanese public opinion and specifically the Christian are fully aware of who is behind the failure of reconciliation efforts

08:08 Al Jareedah: President Suleiman is trying to hold a reconciliation meeting between the Marada and the Lebanese Forces before the second round of dialogue talks

08:01 Salloukh told Ash Sharq al Awsat : The embassies in Beirut and damscus wil be opened before the end of the year and there will not be any delays in the naming of ambassadors

07:37 Al Hayat newspaper : It is possible to reach a settlement over the duties of the Deputy PM without infringing on the authorities of the PM , by finding an office for him and appointing him as the head of some ministerial committees . This is similar to the powers given to Issam Fares and Michel Murr , Abu Jamra's predecessors

07:33 Former president Emile Lahoud accompanied by his son ( former MP) left for Tehran . He was invited by the Iranian leadership and will be there for 1 week

07:26 A source at the Lebanese Forces told al Sada: nothing new in the Christian reconciliation effort. We are heading to the dialogue talks and are going to oppose the expansion of the participation

07:20 MP Saad Hariri will visit Moscow at the end of the first week of November to meet the top Russian officials

07:07 Consultations are ongoing behind the scene over the preparation for the second round of the dialogue talks which is scheduled for November 5th . Sources that will participate in the talks told As Safir : Until now there is no confirmation that the top tire leaders will attend with their aids...they will attend on their own like the first round . The third round could face obstacles if the issue of the expansion of the participants is not resolved

07:00 An Nahar : visitors to Speaker Nabih Berri were told that if the participation in the dialogue talks are to be expanded then this should be based on a formula. For instance the 2006 talks were based on rule 14 meaning each 4 parliament members should be represented by 1 member

06: 48 Sada al Balad: 3 are competing for a Maronite parliament seat in the Shouf electoral district in 2009 elections . They are: Chamoun, Adwan and Khoury

05:55 Siniora is heading to Cairo next Tuesday to head the Lebanese delegation at the Egyptian Lebanese joint committee meeting where several agreements are expected to be signed

05:48 President Suleiman will travel to the Vatican at the end of the month and later on he will visit Cairo and Tehran

05:20 The 81st summit of the regional offices for the Boycott of Israel declared its solidarity with Lebanon and its demand for the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese occupied territories. The summit also called for respect of Iraq's unity, sovereignty, independence and Arab and Islamic identity

05:15 Hezbollah Political Council member Ghaleb Abu Zeinab denied the rumors of an assassination attempt on the life of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Secretary-General of Hezbollah and called the rumors malicious fabrications and imagination that only serve the interests of Israeli intelligence. Rumors circulated yesterday that he was poisoned

05:05 Deputy PM Issam Abu Jamra met last night with PM Siniora who promised to meet him again today to try to resolve the issue but within the constitution.

Thursday
20:15 MP Saad Hariri returned to Lebanon after a private visit to Saudi Arabia.

20:07 LBC: The International Independent Investigation Commission will not include names of suspects in its new report.

20:05 Future TV: Chief U.N. investigator Daniel Bellemare is to receive the dossier on Hariri’s assassination the beginning of the New Year.

19:00 Siniora following his meeting with Suleiman: We have every intention of reaching a positive result. Abu Jamra is well valued. However, we cannot work against the constitution, anything under that is possible.

18:00: PM Siniora arrives at the presidential palace to meet President Suleiman.

17:47: Abu Jamra following a meeting with Siniora: boycotting the cabinet is permanent, while withdrawing from cabinet meeting is temporary. My meeting with Siniora today is just the beginning. There is more to come.

17:15: special investigator into Hariri assassination received new documents including witnesses’ testimonies

15:13 Deputy Speaker Farid Makari says he supports bolstering the rights of the Orthodox sect but disagrees with Deputy PM Issam Abu Jamra’s approach.

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