to meet the Saudi envoys ( Son of king Addullah and Information Minister Abdel Aziz Khoja) who reportedly brought along the answers of PM designate Saad Hariri to the Syrian questions about future Lebanese-Syrian relations.
What is clearly evident from the Saudi -Syrian talks:
- Syria is up to its ears in interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon
- Taef accord is in and Doha accord is out
- Assad is insisting on meeting Hariri before the new government is formed . This meeting could either take place in Damascus or Sharm el Sheikh , Egypt
- Syria wants to know where it stands in its future relations with Lebanon under Hariri
Speaker Nabih Berri, a key member of the Hezbollah-led opposition has reportedly traveled secretly to Syria to update president Assad on the Lebanese internal political situation
According to the pro-Syrian newspaper As Safir the US is reportedly opposed to the visit of Hariri to Damascus. If As Safir's report is correct the US is not alone in its opposition to Hariri's visit prior to the formation of the cabinet . Almost all the March 14 leaders have voiced their opposition to such a visit at this stage.
Hariri is reportedly quietly working on a government formula that he will present to the President of the Republic and the political parties.
Next week we should start getting a more clear picture about the outcome of Saudi Syrian talks and the agreed formulation of the new government
Saturday
6:40pm Hariri after meeting President Michel Suleiman: Deliberation on cabinet formations are being carried in Lebanon and the decree will only be issued from Baabda by the president, and not from anywhere else. The government will be formed in Lebanon and we want the best relations with Syria, but at the right time. He concluded that all talk contradictory to this is untrue.
4:55pm A meeting is underway between President Michel Suleiman and PM-designate Saad Hariri.
03:12 pm M.Kh . arrested for various crimes including possession of war weapons, threatening and resisting security officials, causing harm and drug abuse
03:00 Energy minister Taborian said after meeting with speaker Berri : "The government should declare emergency with regards to electricity in Lebanon.... The electricity situation this summer will be at best like last year's . What we are now importing from Egypt barely covered the natural growth in consumption. What is needed is more power generation plants.
According to energy experts the electricity problem will be with us forever as long as one third of the population does not pay for electricity . Hezbollah and Amal have reportedly instructed their supporters several years ago not to pay for electricity charges and fee collectors have been harassed and killed when they tried to collect electricity charges in Hezbollah strongholds
02: 40 pm Following a meeting with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri in Qoraitem on Saturday, Iranian ambassador Mohammed Rida Shibani said discussions were “useful and effective” and dealt with the current changes taking place in the domestic and regional arenas. He also said that Tehran is keen on strengthening unity among all Lebanese sects, parties and political movements.
02:30 pm MPs Suleiman Franjieh, and Sami Gemayel agreed in a statement to renounce conflicts, to adopt dialogue that ensures Lebanon’s unity and to help Christians resume their role in the country.” They both also rejected attempts to naturalize the Palestinians in Lebanon, saying such a step would have “dangerous repercussions on the political and social Lebanese structure and would harm the Palestinian cause.”
2:22pm PM-designate Saad Hariri is meeting with Iranian ambassador Mohammed Rida Shibani in Qoraitem. Talks will cover latest developments and bilateral ties.
02:18pm LF leader Samir Geagea: the possibility of a Hariri visit to Damascus is ruled out . such a visit before the formation of the government will lead to negative consequences
02:09pm Interior minister Baroud told "MTV:" For the first time in custody a suspect in the recent fires. In the future we will have a rapid intervention team to deal with the fires. We are in need of a comprehensive national strategy on this issue
1:27pm MP Sami Gemayel is meeting with Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh in Bnashii.
12:43pm Ghassan Jean al-Najjar, 39, shot himself dead in Beshmezzine town in Koura reportedly over family problems.
11;00 Al-Liwaa newspaper sources: Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah visited Syria to discuss “the current period before the formation of the new Lebanese cabinet,” adding that the trip falls within the framework of consultations that are taking place between Damascus and the leaders of the opposition.
10:30 An unknown placed a bomb last night in Ain al Tabbaneh. Only material damage was reported
10:30 Minister Mohammed Shatah told LBC: Hariri has no problem in apologizing from forming a cabinet if he is obliged to give up some of his principles. He won’t give the opposition veto power.
10:00 Amal Movement MP Hani Qobeissy told Free Lebanon radio : Lebanon should not be divided into safe and unsafe areas. Talking about a “disarmed Beirut” or a “safe Beirut” is being proposed at the wrong time, and this will create tensions in Lebanon.
10:00 Minister Tamam Salam told VOL: Cabinet formation is carried out by Premier-designate Saad Hariri with a foreign push. I hope time would not be wasted on specific conditions such as the need for Hariri to visit Damascus.
07:46 The Saudi Syrian contacts decided against a meeting in Damascus of the parliamentary blocs in which they were expected reach an agreement on the composition of the government
07:39 Al Masri: No dispute between the Jamaa al Islayamiyah and Hezbollah, and we maintained internal unity after the death of Yakun
07:33 Sources: The Syrian Saudi communications has reached an advanced state on the issue of the Lebanese-Syrian relations on the basis of implementation of the Taif accord and ending the role of the Doha accord
07:20 France is concerned about the delay in forming the government " Its formation may face obstacles that will prevent it from being formed,"
06:58 there is concern about the accusation of Hezbollah in the Hariri assassination and that it could be indictment soon by the attorney General
06:44 parliamentary blocs that are formed of 4 MPS ) will not be participating in the dialogue sessions, but may participate in a Damascus meeting planned for reaching an agreement on the composition of the government
06:25 Damascus refuses to negotiate on behalf of the opposition with regards to the veto share and Saudi Arabia is saying that political commitment should replace the veto share
06:03 Saudi side was not bring final answers on the Syrian ideas, but the content of the Syrian - Saudi talks is positive
05:59 A proposed visit to Damascus by Hariri , accompanied by leaders of all parliamentary blocs and political parties of the March 14
05:56 "As Safir ": fingers pointed at the U.S. for opposing Hariri's visit to Damascus
05:44 "An-Nahar": Israeli violations in the hills of Kfar Shuba
05:38 Baroud will announce today new strict security measures
05:31 the Security Council will hold a closed session next Wednesday to discuss U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon’s 10th report on implementation of resolution 1701.
05:27 opposition sources : There a possibility that Suleiman , Berri and Hariri will visit Damascus "under the mantle of King Abdullah"
05:23 The Syrians proposed meeting with Hariri before the formation of the government or holding a side meeting with him during the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
05:20 a meeting is expected between Suleiman and Hariri in the next 48 hours
05:18 Hariri is quietly working on a government formula that he will present to the President of the Republic and the political parties
Friday
08:25pm 20 Gunmen driving 4 four-wheel drive cars with no plate numbers and 16 motorcycles broke into ISF garage in the Lailaki region
attacked and tied up 16 people including ISF investigators, stole two buses and destroyed a large number of cars inside and outside the garage.
7:15pm Military Intelligence arrested H.R and his son A.R both Naqoura residents on charges of spying for Israel.
4:45pm Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem received a Jamaa Islamia delegation headed by Ibrahim al-Masri. Discussions focused on learning from past experiences and working for Islamic unity and affirming the choice of resistance.
02:18pm President Suleiman: political stability and security are important factors in the success of the summer season and I expect the arrival of large number Lebanese , Arab and foreign tourists
02:11pm Mashnuq ruled out the possibility of a Hariri visit to Damascus before the formation of the government
02:08pm State Security: one member of a gang that terrorized its victims and robbed them was arrested
02:06pm MP Murr: Saudi Arabia's efforts in the negotiations between Syria and Saudi Arabia are positive in removing the obstacles facing the government formation without outside intervention in Lebanese affairs
01:49pm Carlos Eddeh told "MTV:" the people who voted in the elections voted against the Hezbollah project and the victory of march 14 was on this bases
1;40 pm Hezbollah's Nawwaf Mousawi denied yesterday's report of Al Markaziyah News Agency Thursday in which it revealed that the party's Shoura Council has decided not to take part in the next Cabinet . He stressed that Hezbollah is for "real and effective participation" in the new government of national unity.
1;30 pm Reuters - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued an informal invitation to President Barack Obama to visit Damascus for talks, in a sign that relations between the two countries may gradually be thawing. "We would like to welcome him to Syria, definitely," Assad told Sky News in an interview broadcast on Friday. "I am very clear about this."
1 :25pm Al-Jazeera: A huge fire erupts in the Tourism Ministry building in Syria, causing significant property damages
1:01 pm Al Hayat : French President Nicola Sarkozy's political chief of staff Claude Gueant rejected veto power for the opposition and stressed during a recent visit to Damascus that the parliamentary majority of Lebanon has the right to proper representation in the Cabinet. French sources believe that Damascus "wants everything, without giving anything in return."
