The National Bloc party , which is headed by Carlos Eddé called on the March 14 majority MPs not to re-elect “he who closed the parliament and obstructed the work of state institutions” as new speaker, a reference to Speaker Nabih Berri.
MP Antoine Zahra of the Lebanese Forces also revealed to VOL that his party might "nominate another MP such as Abdel Latif Zein and not Speaker Nabih Berri."
General Aoun is also known to be opposed to Berri , whom he calls " the ally of my ally" .
Hariri no longer denies the possibility being the next prime minister and there seems to be general consensus on him.
As Safir newspaper has quoted Hezbollah circles as saying the Shiite group "does not object to Hariri becoming the next prime minister."
The newspaper also quoted Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt as telling the newspaper that he would support calls for Hariri's nomination to the premiership "if he decided to take up this responsibility."
Hariri will face an uphill battle in forming the cabinet if he decides to accept the nomination for the premiership position. Hezbollah is insisting on a veto vote in the cabinet while March 14 are saying " not over our dead bodies ' after what they have experienced during the past year.
Since Lebanon is ruled by consensus , it is expected that a deal will be worked out ... and very soon.
Already there is talk about an imminent meeting between Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Jumblatt and another one with Hariri
Thursday
20:25 al-Massira magazine: Sfeir said :"Syria is out, but did its ambitions in Lebanon disappear? He added: “Hezbollah and March 8 wanted to win the elections for the Syrian and Iranian influence to return to Lebanon, and for March 14 to fail and become marginalized.”
20:20 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced on Thursday that his candidate for the next prime minister is Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri.
Siniora ruled out the possibility of the obstructing third vote in the next government, since “this same experiment did not work previously.”
19:50 Prime Minister Siniora received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulating him on winning the elections.
18:45 President Michel Suleiman is meeting with PM Fouad Siniora at the Baabda palace.
18:05 National News Agency: A dispute between the Miqdad and Shammas families in Haret Hreik has developed into gunfire leading to one female injury
17:20 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed on Thursday that no one person represents Lebanon’s Christians in the new parliament, saying, instead, “We all represent the Christians.”
17:09 WHO: Alert level of Swine flu upgraded to level 6 , the highest possible level for this global epidemic
16:54 Nassif Qazzi : we hope a new electoral law based on proportional representation will soon be born
16:15 Miqdad: The relations between Lebanon and Syria will be based on 2 factors: The position of the new government towards Syria and its position towards the resistance and its arms
16:05 Siniora : We want to preserve keep our country as the nation of coexistence , even though we have seen obstructions and misconduct by some
16:00 Minister Hariri: The election is behind us and we extend our hand to all to build our country together , under the leadership of Saad Rafik Hariri
15:40 MTV: A child Lynne Qassem, was kidnapped by her father on the Beirut airport highway for family reasons.
15:00 Geagea from Grand Serail: Our position is clearly against veto power in government because it brings nothing new . He added " we respect the Tashnag’s political choices.
14:56 MP Saad Hariri said on Thursday that he was willing to offer Hezbollah and its allies in the opposition “assurances,” possibly including an agreement on Hezbollah’s controversial arsenal, in return for forming an effective new government.
14:19 MP-elect Emile Rahme announced on Thursday that he will join the Marada bloc, which is already part of the Change and Reform bloc. The alliance between FPM and Marada raises the C&R bloc membership to 27
13:56 Cabinet to meet on Friday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda to discuss 2009 budget
13:30 LF leader Samir Geagea met with PM Fouad Saniora at the Grand Serail.
13:15 MP Saad Hariri did not rule out his acceptance of the speakership post if asked to become Lebanon’s next premier. Hariri also accused Israel of obstructing peace efforts.
12:52 Judge Mezher issues arrest warrants against alleged Israeli spies
12:55 Judge Ghassan Oweidat issued an arrest warrant for a person accused of involvement in the Nahr al-Bared events.
12:26 MP Antoine Zahra to OTV: We haven’t decided yet on the speakership post. We might nominate another MP such as Abdel Latif Zein and not Speaker Nabih Berri.
12:22 National Bloc party , which is headed by Carlos Eddé called on the majority MPs not to re-elect “he who closed the parliament and obstructed the work of state institutions” as new speaker, a reference to Speaker Nabih Berri.
12:13 Newly-elected MP Alain Aoun told OTV: Vote-buying and brining expatriates from abroad influenced election results in Zahle. The majority’s Christians won in most districts through non-Christian votes.
11:07 Mitri after meeting Sfeir appealed for cooling down political rhetoric and thinking about the nation’s fate. He also hoped there would be no obstacle in the next cabinet formation.
10:55 An old mortar not set to explode was found at the southwestern area of Sidon’s garbage dump.
10:35 LBC: Two hand grenades not set to explode were found in a garden near Sagesse school in Jdeideh.
10:17 VDL: Security forces were informed that two grenades were found at the entrance to Sagesse school in Jdeideh. A security squad was sent to look
into the report.
10:17 For the first time in 50 years Lebanon will assume the Arab seat in the United Nations Security Council from 2010 until 2012.
10:00 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir met with Information Minister Tareq Mitri in Bkirki.
8:30 Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told VOL: The next stage will be difficult because there will be challenges such as the international tribunal and regional issues.
07:57 sources of opposition leadership: The opposition is not opposed to the nomination of Saad Hariri as the new premier
07:53 Jumblatt: I will support the nomination of MP Saad Hariri to the position of prime minister if he decided to assume this responsibility
07:50 Sources close to the the opposition revealed that Gen. Michel Aoun, is dissatisfied with the behavior of the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
Relations between Aoun and Sfeir have never been great , specially since Aoun has attacked Bkirki on several occasions since he returned from exile
7:30 Minister Mario Aoun told VOL: We prefer a government in which there is proportional representation. I believe that the caretaker cabinet’s work would last for some time.
07:03 contacts between Hezbollah and PSP continues and a meeting between Jumblatt and Nasrallah is imminent
06:43 Hezbollah has informed concerned parties that Nabih Berri is its candidate for Parliament speaker
06:22 contacts between Hezbollah and MP Saad Hariri are on continuous basis regarding future relations
06:00 An Argentine judge issued an arrest warrant for Samuel Salman El Reda, a Colombian national suspected of executing the attack on a Jewish community center that killed 85 people in 1994. Argentine asked Lebanon for help on this matter, since Reda is suspected to be living in Lebanon with his parents .Both Hezbollah and Iran have been accused of being behind the attack . Among the men indicted by Argentine judiciary are former Iranian President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati and Tehran’s former ambassador to Argentina, Hadi Soleimanpour.
05:55 French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner sent one letter to Hariri and one to Siniora . He congratulated them on the election victory and stressed French support for Lebanon's sovereignty and independence . He said "Lebanon has set an example of an effective democracy for the entire region"
05:39 Saad Hariri may be a serious candidate for forming the government
05:33 George Mitchel expected in Lebanon today. He is not carrying any plans but is considering launching a serious peace negotiation
05:26 Mitchel's visit was decided after US VP Biden visited Lebanon
Wednesday
21:30 Soueid told Future TV: The Change and reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun is heading to disintegration following the election. He added " Aoun was the biggest loser and he is now more than ever under the mercy of Hezbollah
21:18 MP Michel Aoun on OTV : EU Commission came to Monitor Elections in order to witness the failure of FPM. The battle is not over yet because our opponents want to resolve the case of Hezbollah’s weapons.
20:50 STL adopts 14 amendments in Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The amendments are designed to further enhance and facilitate proceedings before the tribunal.
20:37 Interior minister Baroud said that his ministry is ready to provide the Constitutional Council with all necessary information related to any complaints or controversies, and ensure the transparency of the investigation. Baroud added that some irregularities were resolved on election day, and noted that they did not affect the electoral process. no family transferred voting rights to other districts since he took office
20:27 Two people shot at US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. The victims were taken to area hospitals, police officer Israel James said.
20:15 US President Barack Obama telephoned President Michel Suleiman. He reiterated his country’s support for Lebanon and expressed hope that the new cabinet will be formed soon, and that Lebanon will fully implement UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701. Suleiman urged Obama to continue to work toward resolving the crisis in the Middle East, on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative
19:51 Internal Security Forces arrested two Lebanese sisters, Josephine Moussa, age 67, and Georgette Moussa, age 69, when two Israeli passports were found in their suitcases as they were leaving the Beirut International Airport.
19:25 Deputy Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem told Reuters that Hezbollah is ready to open a new page with the majority. He added that discussing the weapons of the resistance is “restricted to the dialogue round table, and it is not a topic on the agenda of the new cabinet.”
19:12 MP-elect for the Zahle district Antoine Abu Khater: On June 7, voters supported the March 14 alliance’s convictions, based on Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and freedom.
19:06 Merkel congratulated PM Siniora on his victory and the victory of the state in a phone call and added that this success creates hope for Lebanon.
18:00 MP Walid Jumblat received a phone call from Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Rida Shibani congratulating him on his election win.
17:58 Phalange leader Amin Gemayel at a press conference:: We will stand by all constitutional establishments starting with the presidency.
on the political level, we will exert maximum effort to remove Lebanon from being part of an axis by proposing positive neutrality. The referendum confirmed the Lebanese people's position: no to crippling constitutional establishments and no to weapons arsenal that are not under the control of the Lebanese army. Without a doubt, the Lebanese people have spoken in the elections and gave their vote to March 14 forces.
