Arab identity".

Nasrallah also warned March 14 alliance not to get involved in the controversial Iranian presidential elections, because he said: " This is something you don’t understand" .

Turning to the issue of the Iranian system of government ... Wilayat al-Fakih, Nasrallah said this subject is "part of our religious ideology. Any harm inflicted upon this issue is tantamount to harming our religious ideology." The majority of the Lebanese accuse Iran of planning to install this system of government in Lebanon through Hezbollah.

In talking about the elections , Nasrallah for the first time admitted that the opposition paid off the Lebanese expatriates to come to Lebanon and vote but said this did not compare in any way to what March 14 did. There were many reports in western press indicating that Iran was the biggest spender in the election.

Despite Nasrallah's rhetoric the situation in Lebanon appears to be calm. It looks like Speaker Nabih Berri will be reelected by a hefty majority and Saad Hariri will be the natural choice for the position of Prime minister... The countdown for a meeting between Nasrallah and Jumblatt has started , and the meeting could take place as early as this week according to Jumblatt. This is expected to smooth things over

The key remaining issue to be resolved is shape of the new government.

Will March 14 be able to maintain its "no veto" position for the opposition. United they can !!!!

Thursday

07:00 pm Continental Flight 61, whose pilot died midflight, has landed safely at Newark International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

06:50 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir responded to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's criticism : "The remarks we made are our beliefs, Lebanon’s decisions should not be made outside Lebanon. Our remarks upset some parties, but still our duty is to tell the difference between black and white. "The backlash to my statement is "loser justifying loss"

6:25pm Cabinet is in session at Baabda Palace and is being chaired by the president

5:50pm interior ministry published detailed results of elections on its website.

5:45pm The Higher Judicial Council did hold its first meeting since the body began its term on 12 June. Presided Judge Ghaleb Ghanem, the council is expected to outline a work plan.

05:44pm Closed-door meeting between President Suleiman and PM Siniora at Baabda Palace

05:06pm Al-Arabiya: Mir-Hossein Mousavi joins protestors in Tehran demonstrations

5:00pm MP Harb said the military court was not convinced Mustafa Hassan Muqdim was the man who shot at pilot Samer Hanna and called on Hezbollah to reveal the identity of the real killer. The initial investigation revealed that there were 3 other Hezbollah members involved in the assassiantion of Hanna but Hezbollah only handed over Muqdim

04:00pm Chamoun : If the opposition is making fun of itself then it shouldn’t try to make fun of others

3:55pm Lebanese Army: The incomplete remains of an unidentified individual were uncovered under the debris at the old Nahr al Bared Palestinian refugee camp. Remains were transferred to hospital for medical tests to help identify the body.

03:10 remains of an incomplete body were found under the rubble in Nahr el Bared refugee camp

03:00 Mitri after returning from Cairo: Arab political action is required to put to test the credibility of the International community with regards to the Palestinian issue

02:49 MP Moussa told MTV: the serious talk about the government formation after the election of the speaker , in order to avoid any barter deals

02:30 Minister Hariri: There is a Lebanese consensus to reject the naturalization of the Palestinians in Lebanon and there is no force on earth that can impose this on us

02:30pm Two non-governmental organizations : Foundation for Human & Humanitarian Rights in Lebanon and LIFE condemned Hanna's killer and called for the Military Court to be dissolved.

02:16mp MP Boutros Harb: I am afraid that the file of killed pilot Capt. Hanna ( release of Hezbollah killer ) will reflect on the role and authority of the Lebanese army

02:16mp MP Boutros Harb: I am afraid that the file of killed pilot Capt. Hanna ( release of Hezbollah killer ) will reflect on the role and authority of the Lebanese army

01:45pm Edde: If Syria is trying to pin point the blame for the failure of Hezbollah in the election on someone , they should look elsewhere because the responsibility doesn’t rest with Bkirki

01:45pm If Syria is trying to pin point the blame for the failure of Hezbollah in the election on someone , they should look elsewhere because the responsibility doesn’t rest with Bkirki

01:24pm Judge Fadi Sawan issued an arrest warrant for Yasser Suheil Reda accusing him of spying for Israel

01:24pm Judge Fadi Sawan issued an arrest warrant for Yasser Suheil Reda accusing him of spying for Israel

12:55pm The higher judiciary council will hold its first meeting today to set the agenda for its term which started June 12

12:55pm Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad met with British Ambassador to Lebanon Francis Mary Gay at the parliament and discussed the results of the June 7 elections as well as Hezbollah’s vision regarding domestic and regional developments.

12:42 The body of Lebanese citizen Jihad ali Swaidan was found inside his residence in Kneyseh , Sour ( Tyre). Attending physician stated that death was caused by excessive drinking

12:40pm PM Siniora spoke about his book “Three Years for the Republic”. During this period Lebanon faced several crises, including assassinations and attempted assassinations. The cabinet safeguarded the national unity during the 2006 July War. The UN Security Council issued Resolution 1701, which ended the war, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed in South Lebanon. Lebanon also faced the Nahr al-Bared war between the LAF and the extremist group Fatah al Islam.
On the positive side, the economic growth reached 7.5% in 2007, a rate which is unprecedented in Lebanon’s history.

12:20pm Israel : 28 more cases of swine flu were found today. This raises the total number of cases in Israel to 180

12:15pm PM Siniora held a ministerial meeting which was attended by Ministers Aridi and Fneish

11:48 former president Gemayel will meet Sudanese VP this afternoon in Bikfaya

11:42 Makari after meeting Suleiman: The commitment of the president to the constitution and the Taef accord projects trust and confidence in the presidency

11:39 Minister Tarek Mitri met ( AL chief ) Moussa in Cairo and the 2 discussed the situation in Lebanon and Netanyhu speech

11:23 Minister Taborian: We have been raising the fuel prices based on a formula and this subject will be raised during the cabinet meeting

11:18 Carlos Edde from Birki: Bkirki makes its decisions here while Hezbollah's decisions are made in Iran. We are talking of threats to the Lebanese entity because some groups are importing foreign values that do not exist in the country.

11:15 Baroud : based on the election results , all should participate in the new government for the sake of the country . The best thing for the Lebaese is a government of partnership

11:09 MP Hasan Fadlallah during a press conference said Pilot Samer Hanna’s assassination was employed for political gains. Judge Rashid Mezher ruled that Muqadim had unintentionally shot and killed Hanna.

10:48 al Anbaa: Al Mustaqbal bloc is inclined to vote to Berri under the condition that the economic files of the country will be given priority

08:28 Minister Najjar told VOL: Any delay in forming the cabinet will be the first problem the new premier will face and the insistence by the opposition on being granted an obstructing third will get the government into a serious crises

08:15 former Israeli intelligence chief: Hezbollah plan for developing its military capabilities will suit Israel best , because it will be easier for us to attack them

7:30 Minister Khaled Qabbani told VOL: Today’s cabinet session is the last. I hope caretaking would not last long. All forces are keen on a government that expresses the choice of the people.

07:05 Hariri is expected to return to Lebanon within 48 hours and this will determine the timing of the meeting of the March 14 leaders

06:28 Sources reported that Zahle may be represented by 2 ministers in the new cabinet just like the outgoing government, but the Phalange party is inclined to prefer new faces

06:22 Lebanon Files: Murr decided to launch an open war against the Tashnaq and which will take different forms in the coming days and weeks and which could affect the municipalities which includes Tashnaq representatives. Murr is mad at the Tashnaq party for deceiving him during the elections and accused them of using fake IDs for over 4000 ballots

06:13 Jumblatt : I will be meeting with Nasrallah this week or after the election of Berri as the speaker and the preparations for the meeting have begun

06:02 Geagea told AnNahar: within March 14 there are 2 opinions , one that opposes the reelection of Berri and another that sees an advantage in voting for him , since he will be elected anyway

05:39 Annahar : It is unlikely the parliament meeting for electing the speaker will take place within the constitutional period which is within 15 days from the date of elections

Wednesday

10:10pm Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech in which he honored the party’s campaign staff but expressed dissatisfaction with the election results. However, he insisted that Hezbollah honors the results. Nasrallah defended Iranian system of governing : " The issue about Wilayat al-Fakih is part of our religious ideology. Any harm inflicted upon this issue is tantamount to harming our religious ideology," he said . He warned March 14 forces not to speak about the Iranian elections because "this is an issue that they don’t understand.", he said. Nasrallah admitted that Hezbollah paid expatriates to come and vote but said " that was no comparison with what March 14 did ". Nasrallah criticized Christian spiritual leader Nasrallah sfeir for declaring prior to the elections that a win by Hezbollah led opposition "threatened Lebanon’s Arab identity." Hezbollah's main backer is Iran , a non-Arab country

06:55pm Suleiman Franjiyeh: I will vote against the selection of Saad Hariri as the new prime minister after I consult with my bloc

06:16pm Ceremony held at UNESCO Palace to mark the assassination of former MP Walid Eido

05:32 Hariri : we have won the majority , but some also voted for March 8. We don’t have here ( red and Blue ) Rrepublican and Democratic states and we want to unite Lebanon

5:10pm MP Michel Aoun after his bloc's weekly meeting: We discussed allegations directed at MP Ibrahim Kenaan. We favor reacting through filing a lawsuit because the witness and the plotter do not deserve a political response. Aoun said Berri is the nominee of the opposition for the speakership position and he will support him

05:01 pm Al-Arabiya reports that a silent rally by Mir Hossein Mousavi supporters begins in Tehran. Over 100000 participated

4:18pm VOL: A huge fire erupted in the environs of the Zouk power plant due to oil remnants. Firefighters are trying to control the fire, which does not pose a threat to the factory or its operations.

04:00pm Tashnag in response to MP Michel accusations of using fake IDs and casting over 4000 votes than eligible : The poll results clearly show 2200 Tashnag votes for Murr and we are not involved in any fraud