detained and are being interrogated .
Speaker Nabih Berri appears to be the most optimistic about the cabinet formation. He has been predicting that the cabinet will be formed before the end of this month . General Michel Aoun , who has been the most pessimistic about the government formation and who has been calling for proportional representation in the cabinet said yesterday following a meeting of his bloc: " I hope that Speaker Nabih Berri’s expectations are right and I will be happy if the cabinet is formed before end of the month."
Visitors to the Baabda presidential palace have been reporting progress in the discussions with regards to cabinet formation and are predicting that the names of future ministers and their portfolios may come as a surprise to many.
Many in March 14 majority alliance are blaming Syria for the delay in giving the green light its allies .
As Safir newspaper revealed several details about the 10 member al Qaeda inspired terror network. The network included 2 Lebanese citizens , seven Palestinians and one Syrian who carries a Greek passport whose name is Munjid al Fahham. Fahham was the first member that was identified by the Lebanese Intelligence at Beirut airport . He was on his way from Athens to Beirut . As Safir revealed that Fahham is the key witness and he is the one who identified the rest of the members in the network.
The 2 Lebanese members were identified by their initials only . One was identified as A.J. and the other as A.A.
Most of the members of the network were carrying fake foreign passports and I.D.s
Thursday
11:30 pm US envoy George Mitchell will be in Damascus tomorrow to discuss peace in the middle east
11:00 pm Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "warm peace" between Israel and its Arab neighbors on Thursday in a rare speech at the Egyptian ambassador's residence near Tel Aviv.
05:40 pm A report will be published by al A’amal newspaper on Friday alleging that the office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare questioned three Hezbollah members.
3:20pm “Democratic Gathering’ leader Walid Jumblatt received a delegation of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine headed the front’s politburo member Ali Faisal, who later stressed the Palestinian people’s holding to the right of return.
1:15pm Siniora discussed with Williams the UN development programs
1:14pm Director of UNDP’s regional office for Arab countries, Amat al-Suswa, after meeting with President Suleiman: Holding the parliamentary elections is an important step not just for Lebanon but for the entire Arab world.
1:08pm Patriarch Sfeir : the participation of the opposition in the government is like a wagon which is being pulled by 2 horses ..one horse pulls forward and the other backward
1:00 pm Sison : Mitchell's visit to Lebanon has been postponed until a new government is formed
12:55pm Suleiman reviewed with Salloukh the letter that Lebanon sent to the UN about Israeli violations of 1701
12:51pm Geagea urged Sison to ask the US administration to put pressure on Israel to end the 1701 violations
12:30pm MP Nuhad al-Mashnouq told LBC: Al-Mustaqbal movement’s representative in the security meeting at the army intelligence headquarters does not represent us.
12:23pm Military Prosecutor Rashid Mizher referred to Military Examining Magistrate Samih al-Hajj the 17 members of a terror network who were charged with forming an “armed gang” with the aim of committing crimes and planning attacks.
12:05pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir met with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim in the Monastery of ‘Our Lady of Balamand.
11:44 Al Rayyes told ANB : the purpose of the meeting between Hezbollah, Amal , Future and LAF is to reduce the political tension
11:20 Reports of a meeting being held between Hezbollah, Amal and Future at LAF Intelligence headquarters in Mathaf for security coordination
10:47 Abi Ramya told LBC: We will not take part in the cabinet for the sake of the democratic process only and so far we did not get any serious from the PM designate
10:45 Al-Hayat newspaper: Hezbollah and the Amal Movement pledged to maintain calm and not to organize another demonstration at the Blue Line in the Kfar Shouba Hills, where Israel has set up several observation posts and fortifications.
10:40 As-Safir : President Michel Suleiman informed all parties that he would not approve the new cabinet if his share includes one pro-government minister and one pro-opposition, insisting on having his own “ pure share” in government of at least five ministers, including 3 Christians, 1 Shia and 1 Sunni. He is proposing to play a “guaranteeing role” in the new cabinet in exchange for relinquishing the obstructing-third vote by the opposition
10:38 MP al Jisr told "Future News:" We are hope to achieve the formation of the government before August 1 and it is not in anyone 's interest to delay the process
10:29 MP al Abd told "Future News": Berri's confirmation that the opposition is not insisting on the veto power in the cabinet is a positive indicator but the issue of proportional representation is another matter
10:26 Al Anbaa sources: Some Arab countries have no objection against the formation of a government divided equally between the president and the majority
10:20 Al Anbaa sources: The issue of a king minister has returned for discussions and such a person should be acceptable to both Hariri and Hezbollah and should enjoy the confidence of both of their teams
10:00 Aawan: Hariri is preparing a new cabinet formulation that is supported by Jumblatt and Berri after giving up on previous formulas that he has worked on during the first 2 weeks
10:00 BBC: Israel's education ministry is to drop from an Arabic language textbook a term describing the creation of the state of Israel as "the catastrophe". The Arabic word "Nakba" has been used with Israeli-Arab pupils since 2007. It does not appear in Hebrew textbooks.
9:40 MP Antoine Zahra told the Voice of Lebanon that the political committee of the Maronite League is scheduled to meet to create the right conditions for a meeting between LF leader Samir Geagea and Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh.
8:45 Lebanese Intelligence arrested lasted night 52 wanted people in south Lebanon
08:33 Al Liwa: Hariri expressed during a meeting of Lebanon First his understanding of Jumblatt's vision with regards to his proposed Islamic alliance
08:23 UN spokeswoman Bouzayan denies that the results of the investigation revealed that UNIFIL erred in recent security incidents and said the investigation is still ongoing and no results have been announced yet
08:01 Al Liwa: Hariri is planning to meet with the rest of the heads of the parliamentary blocs specially those he did not meet during the first round : Arslan and Franjiyeh
07:45 Asharq al Awsat : No meeting is expected anytime soon between MPs Jumblatt and Aoun
07:35 Yassin Jaber told "Voice of Lebanon": if Berri did not have solid data he won't be this optimistic
06:59 Hassan Khalil: all meetings held by PM designate Saad Hariri, with all the forces so far have ended positively
06:40 The Maronite Association's committee in charge of political contacts will hold a meeting this afternoon, headed by Maronite League President Joseph Tarabay, after a long break
06:25 As Safir : The 10 member terrorist network includes 2 Lebanese , 7 Palestinians and a Syrian who carries a Greek passport whose name is Munjid al Fahham . Fahham was the key detainee . He was the first member that was identified by the Lebanese Intelligence at Beirut airport
06:13 "UNIFIL" commander : The soldiers of the "Blue Berets" cling to the literal text of the rules of engagement and therefore what is being said about attempts for modifications or changes is not true
05:50 sources of "Lebanon First": serious work is continuing in all directions, but it is difficult to predict with any precision the date of the formation of the government
05:45 Baabda visitors: serious discussions are taking place with all concerned but with complete discretion about the government formula . The names of ministers and distribution of portfolios may lead to surprises
Wednesday
06:50pm Assad, Erdogan urge Israel to show “real political will” to achieve peace
05:09pm Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun: I am not even close to [Progressive Socialist Party leader MP] Walid Jumblatt. I do not know how he handles the Syrian issue. I do know that pigeons always return to their flocks, and Jumblatt has a flock.
03:44 pm Lebanon First bloc denounces South Lebanon incidents, praises Hariri for “calm” deliberations
02:15pm US ambassador Sison meets former president Amin Gemayel and voiced support for an agreement to be reached among all Lebanese parties
1 :03pm Arrest
