or preconditions for the formation of a Lebanese government.
"Both Damascus and Paris believe it is up to the Lebanese to organize their government", Kouchner said after meeting with Assad.
Monday
06:18pm Caretaking Prime Minister Fouad Siniora meets with President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace in Baabda, to discuss cabinet formation, domestic and regional politics
4:10pm FM Salloukh announced in Sharm el-Sheikh that Lebanon will run for the non-permanent membership at the Security Council for 2010-2011 on behalf of Arab member states.
3:35pm MP Arslan was elected head of the Lebanese Democratic Party uncontested. He was also elected as a member of the politburo.
03:15 pm Following his meeting with president Suleiman , Speaker Berri said that “discretion is the best method to reach goals.” He urged the politicians to cooperate on forming the cabinet
03:10pm Jumblatt: Hariri needs effective political support from all parties to facilitate the process of the formation of the government
03:07pm Hariri met Sami Gemayel, also met with a delegation from the Committee of the Lebanese detained in Syrian jails and Vice-President of Colombia
03:03pm Saudi Ambassador: Our aspiration is to see a Lebanese government and we will support any move to preserve the unity of Lebanon
03:00pm UNIFIL deputy spokeswoman: the security situation in the south is completely stable and all parties are committed to the implementation of the 1701 in full. The Lebanese army in coordination with UNIFIL has brought the security situation under control.
03:00 pm Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said after meeting EU Ambassador Patrick Laurent that those who are against forming the new cabinet based on proportional representation “crave more power and do not want Lebanon to progress.” Aoun did not explain on what basis he is entitled to proportional representation
02:48pm MP Houri said : proportional representation in the cabinet means : 16 ministers for the parliament majority 8 ministers for the parliament minority and 6 ministers for the president
02:48pm MP Hajj Hassan : the climate for the government formation is positive and our understanding it will be a real effective and productive cabinet
02:37pm New TV : Youssef Shaaban is still inside the Internal security building in Jubeil awaiting the completion of the formalities for releasing him today
2:29pm Speaker Nabih Berri arrived at Baabda palace for talks with President Michel Suleiman. The two men are discussing latest developments and consultations to form a new cabinet.
02:20 pm CNN: Alleged Nazi camp guard John Demjanjuk was formally charged Monday with being an accessory to about 27900 murders during World War II.
02 :15 pm Lebanon's Central Bank: New 500 LL coin will soon be put into circulation in Lebanon
02:10pm Fire erupts in Showaliq - Jezzine and the civil defense is trying to extinguish it
1:58pm Tourism Minister Elie Marouni stressed that Zahle has the right to be represented in the new cabinet, in administrative posts and all state institutions.
01:55pm president Suleiman: The importance of the various religious sects in Lebanon based on in its ability to interact
1;50pm The Syrian/Lebanese community in Trinidad will celebrate 100 years of their arrival in Trinidad, starting with a historical and cultural exhibition at the Heritage Division of the National Library in Port of Spain.
1:49pm LF leader Samir Geagea will talk at 9pm this evening on MTV about the most recent developments
1;40pm Reuters: A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy carrying US ambassador to Baghdad Chris Hill in southern Iraq, but the envoy was unhurt, the US embassy said on Monday.
1;30 Bloomberg: A sixth person died after the collapse of a bridge being built for the metro rail system in the Indian capital, New Delhi, police said as officers began a criminal investigation into the incident.
1:30pm an official funeral for former PM Amin al Hafez will be held tomorrow morning in Tripoli where he will be buried
1:25 pm Dow Jones: Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and his ruling coalition Monday agreed to hold a general election on Aug. 30
1:20 pm Reuters : President Barack Obama's pick to fill his first US Supreme Court vacancy, Sonia Sotomayor, goes before a Senate hearing on Monday with most people betting she already has enough votes to win confirmation.
1;18 pm VOA: A South Korean television station reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pancreatic cancer, and that his illness is life-threatening.
1:17 pm Hariri is set to begin Monday a new round of talks with the various political parties as President Michel Suleiman embarks on a visit to Sharm al-Sheikh to take part in the Non-Aligned Movement summit July 15-16.
1:16pm Minister Mario Aoun : we are hoping that the government will be formed as soon as possible because the country needs it
1:15pm Phalange leader Amin Gemayel discussed with Italy’s ambassador latest developments.
12:46pm Judge Sawan questioned 8 detainees accused of resisting against the internal security forces in Bhamdoun
12:45pm The premiership announced a three-day official mourning period for Amin al-Hafez’ death starting Tuesday during which flags will be flown at half-mast and media outlets would alter "normal programming.”
12:25pm Former PM Najib Miqati: If the Lebanese political leaders want to Lebanonize the process of cabinet formation, then they have to meet to achieve this goal.
12:15pm MP Michel Aoun: We hold onto the choice of proportional representation in the new cabinet. We reject formation of the government by Arab countries.
11:15 Minister Gebran Bassil told LBC: We don’t have to wait for the outside world to form our government. Only proportional representation guarantees true partnership. The constitution states that each sect should be represented in cabinet( but does not state that the party that loses the election is entitled to proportional representation)
10:55 Al-Liwaa newspaper: MP Nohad al-Mashnouq said that he expects Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to visit Syria before the end of July.
10:46 Former Prime Minister Amin al-Hafez passes away on Monday. He served from 25 April - 21 June 1973
10:39 Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad : the problem is not between haret Hraik ( Hezbollah stronghold) and Quraithem ( Hariri's residence )but the pressures from outside are causing the delays in government formation
10:27 62 arrested for committing various crimes throughout the country
10:18 Moussa told al Mustaqbal : the formation of the government is strictly a Lebanese issue and the Lebanese should discourage any foreign interference
10:16 EU ambassador Patrick Laurent visited MP Michel Aoun in Rabiyeh. The two men discussed latest developments.
10:15 MP Nayla Tueni told Future News: The opposition has the right to participate in the cabinet without veto power. Syria is not convinced of not meddling in Lebanese internal affairs and rejects to deal with Lebanon as an independent and free country.
8:32 Minister Mohammed Shatah told VOL: I heard from the opposition that it stresses on the need for real and serious partnership in the cabinet.
8:30 MP Fadi al-Aawar told VOL: There is no magic recipe for government formation. The most important thing is finding ways to take the country out of its crisis. We should deal with the cabinet issue with objectivity.
7:30 MP Hani Qobeisi told VDL: There is no crisis in cabinet formation and things are going in the right direction.
Sunday
05:54 Nawaf al-Moussawi told the "Sawt el Mada ": re-establishing trust with the other team can be built through the mechanism of real participation in government
05:33 Mashnouq told al Liwaa : Jumblatt is working to correct the the political transformations to conform to the regional and international changes , and will not subject mount Lebanon to another war
5:30pm NNA: A mild earthquake measuring 3 on the Richter scale shook the southern town of Srifa, located east of Sour.
5:00pm Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem told Lebanese parties: “Those who take a step toward Syria, we will take a step toward them.”
04:22 pm French FM Kouchner said after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem in Damascus on Sunday, that both France and Syria are aware of the importance of allowing the Lebanese to form their own cabinet without external interference.
3:02pm Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the country's highest Shiite authority, Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan discussed the threats posed by Israel’s espionage networks.
1:00 pm Speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement, marking the third anniversary of the beginning of the 2006 July War, that
Lebanon defeated Israel because of the people’s and the nation’s unity.
