, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon., during a press conference.
Sayyed slammed President Michel Suleiman, requesting that he act “as an honorable military general and not as a prisoner of Baabda Palace.” He also said : “President Suleiman has changed and is not the same person I knew before” , adding : “It is a shame that you have become a prisoner “
Sayyed also accused the Special Tribunal for Lebanon of going after Syria.
The purpose of the Tribunal is to try the killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated on February 14 2005
Sayyed along with three other senior officers who were sent to jail on Aug 30, 2005 as suspects in the the assassination of former Hariri were released from jail on April 29, 2009 on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to indict them for involvement in the murder.
PM-designate Saad Hariri has been trying to form a government for the past 2 months , but has been facing difficulties with General Michel Aoun an ally of the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah militant group. The March 14 alliance have been accusing Syria of being behind the obstructions
A meeting between General Michel Aoun and Hariri is expected to take place today. The result of the meeting will reveal the real reasons behind the obstacles that are facing the formation of the government . Aoun has demanded 5 portfolios in the new government including the ministries of communication and the interior , but his demands have been rejected by the majority .
General Aoun according to early morning reports plans to leave for vacation immediately after his meeting with Hariri
Today the 71 members of the parliament majority are also expected to meet today in a show of unity to reconfirm that they are still the majority. Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt has according to morning reports said : “ We will participate in the meeting of the majority in support of the PM-designate and the Taif accord
Monday
11:00 As-Safir : Billionaire Hajj Salah Ezzedine a Hezbollah publishing executive has declared bankruptcy. He is the director of the Hezbollah-owned Dar Al-Hadi Publishing House. His bankruptcy has affected thousands of Lebanese investors who are sympathetic to Hezbollah
10:54 pm Reuters: Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they would sign accords within six weeks under a plan to end a century of hostility.
05:25 pm Speaker Nabih Berri said during the 31st anniversary of Imam Moussa Sadr’s disappearance in Libya: “Libya tops the list of countries carrying out organized crime, and therefore should not preside over the Arab summit.” He added “Saudi-Syrian balance is key to stability in Lebanon”
05:00 pm Caretaker minister Wael Abu Faour said after the meeting of the majority: The majority fully support’s Prime Minister -designate Saad Hariri and his efforts to form the new cabinet based on the Lebanese constitution. The majority holds on to democracy, the Taif Accord and the equal sharing of power between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon
3:38pm Majority MPs begin first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections in Qoreitem in presence of Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt
3:30pm Majority MPs begin to arrive at PM-designate Saad Hariri’s residence in Qoreitem for their first meeting since 2009 parliamentary elections
3:20 Qaouk : The resistance is not looking for political gains in the new government
2:30 pm NAVTEQ, has released its first map of Lebanon. Through this map, drivers will have access to around 14,000 km of roads and over 8,000 Points of Interest (POIs) referenced to the map to support destination selection in navigation systems.
2:20 pm BBC The election defeat of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule and the landslide victory of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has met a cautious welcome in newspapers around in the world.
02;10 Hariri after his meeting with Aoun :
- This was an to ice breaking meeting like the General said.
- I want to thank the president for sponsoring the meeting. There are difficulties, but there is serious dialogue to conclude the government formation.
02:05 Aoun after his meeting with Hariri: The meeting was an ice breaker, and it helped launch dialogue on the cabinet formation, but difficulties [regarding the cabinet formation] still remain. I will leave for few days, and someone will follow up the issue on my behalf if required
12:50 India's economy expanded 6.1 % last quarter , indicating the global recession's impact on Asia's third-largest economy is waning.
12;40 pm The Dalai Lama has arrived in Taiwan on a visit that has been denounced by China as being likely to destabalise improving ties with Taipei.
12:37pm The meeting between PM-designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun began in Baabda under the auspices of President Suleiman
12:35pm Aoun said prior to the meeting with Hariri: All will depend on Hariri’s response to our demands
12:28 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri arrives in Baabda to meet with FPM leader MP Michel Aoun
11:45 Najjar awaits the Higher Judicial Council’s decision before replying to Sayyed
11:29 Tourism minister Marouni says Hariri-Aoun meeting will be “useless”
11:06 Akhbar al-Yawm: Hariri-Aoun meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Baabda palace
11:01 Hezbollah calls for forcing Libya to release Imam Sadr and his two companions
10:46 Solana whoos is currently in Syria to visit Beirut on Monday
09:06 Harb: If Aoun refuses to change his positions, we will get nowhere
08:05 FPM minister Mario Aoun: We want specific answers to our demands
07:31 visit by a delegation of the army command to Nahr al-Bared had positive effect on the leaders and members of the Beddawi Palestinian Refugee camp
05:59 Walid al-Moallem: The Lebanese government is an internal Lebanese issue , we support dialogue and we hope the government will be formed soonest possible
05:58The majority Mps will meet today to confirm that they are still the parliamentary majority and are united
05:57 Future TV sources : The meeting between Aoun and Hariri will reveal the nature of the obstruction that this causing the delay in the formation of the government
05:55 Sources close to Aoun: He will listen to Hariri’s response regarding FPM’s proposal for five portfolios
05:53 Aoun will leave Beirut after the meeting for vacation abroad
05:51 a political source: The outcome of the Meeting between Aoun and Hariri will not be significant enough to overcome the obstacles
05:45 sources of opposition: Aoun-Hariri meeting should reveal whether the obstruction of the government formation is internal or external
05:43 Hezbollah encouraged Aoun to respond to Hariri's initiative
05:21 Jumblatt: We will participate in the meeting of the majority in support of the PM-designate and the Taif accord
Sunday
11:00pm Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was indicted today in corruption scandals that drove him to resign last year, a long-awaited legal step that made him the first current or former holder of Israel's most powerful office to be charged with a criminal offense
10;00 pm MP Marwan Hamadeh told Future TV: all the MPs of the Democratic Gathering bloc including the leader MP Walid Jumblatt, will attend Sunday’s March 14 meeting to confirm Jumblatt’s earlier statements that he is still part of the majority supporting Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.
6:55 pmMouallem : Syrian-Saudi relations are going in the right path and the Saudi Ambassador to Syria
6:54 pm Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said “ the investigation of Detlev Mehlis, the first commissioner of the UN investigation team into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was aimed at indicting Syria.”
3:00 pm Internal Security Forces Bureau for Combating Terrorism and Crime detained a Lebanese citizen identified as Hussein al-Asmar, 40, in the southern village of Odayse for allegedly spying for Israeli Intelligence.
1:10 pm After meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in the presence of MP Nadim Gemayel Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said “the Maronite Patriarchy is the base of the Lebanese state.” He added “ all parties to reconsider their rhetoric and embrace Sfeir’s positions which call for unity.”
12;25 pm : Jamil Sayyed attacked during a press conference Lebanese president Michel Suleiman , Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
