to be received by a huge crowd from there he will head to Latakia Wednesday and on Thursday he will be in Damascus . The king is expected to remain in Syria for 3 days

The question on the mind of the Lebanese is what if the Saudi- Syrian summit fails to deliver a solution to the current impasse?

As long as the Lebanese politicians are dependent on outside powers to tell them what to do , we in Lebanon have be prepared to expect the worst.

In the pipeline of outside influence there is of course the Syrian-American dialogue, the Iranian-Western dialogue, the indictments by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the US efforts to re-launch the peace process in the Middle East. Any of these factors could affect the formation of the government but the Lebanese may have to wait for years because these issues will take a very long time to be resolved

Obstructions against government formation are built into the constitution and the biggest problem in the constitution is the outdated sectarian system. PM designate Saad Hariri could not form a cabinet without a considerable Shiite representation, and the Shiites are monopolized by "Hezbollah" and the "Amal" Movement… both of which are controlled by regional powers such as Iran and Syria .

We have seen what happened in 2006 when the Shiite ministers under orders by Hezbollah and Amal resigned from the cabinet . Ever since they withdrew the cabinet was completely paralyzed . The reason they withdrew was because they did not want the cabinet to discuss the Tribunal issue because that would have offended the Syrians.

The special Tribunal for Lebanon was established to try the killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri , father of the prime minister-designate Saad Hariri . Syria was accused of being behind Harriri’s assassination , but it denied any involvement

It is really a shame that the country that raised some of the best leaders in the world cannot manage its own internal affairs .

The only hope for the Lebanese is that the wind of change might sometime in the future pave the way for a real democratic secular state in Lebanon…but unfortunately this won’t happen anytime soon as long as the young and educated are blindly following the politicians and the religious leaders whose existence is totally dependent on this outdated sectarian system. Only when the young and educated decide to be free and independent we should expect a real democracy in Lebanon

Monday

9:44 pm Alloush : the local obstruction are just a front for regional obstructions

8:57pm MP Oqab Saqr : Aoun and Hariri did not discuss the names of ministers and their portfolios

8:21pm Williams : The country is in urgent need of a government to face the challenges

8:20pm Jumblatt wrote in the Anbaa : "the Arab countries should unite against the Israeli aggression"

8:10pm Salim Aoun : it is silly to think that Gebran Bassil is the only problem facing the formation of the government

7:37pm President Suleiman met Ogassibian and the heads of Armenian parties

5;00pm VOA: More than 220 people have been killed and more than 1.5 million others have been displaced by massive floods which have devastated parts of Southern India in the past five days.

04:39 minister Najjar called for a follow up of the investigation of the murder of Lebanese citizen Andria Bajjani in New York

4:25pm Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora is holding a meeting with Sarkozy's top advisor Henry Guaino at the Grand Serail.
3:55 pm MEOL: France seems intent on becoming the dominant external power in Syria and Lebanon - commercially, politically and culturally, a position it enjoyed between the two world wars, when it was granted a League of Nations Mandate over the two countries, says Patrick Seale.

3:45 pm The Noor radio station has revealed that the UAE will be deporting more Lebanese expatriates including 2 well known business people

3:30 pm An Azerbaijani court on Monday found two Lebanese men Ali Karaki and Ali Najmeddin , guilty of plotting attacks on the Israeli and US embassies in the capital Baku, jailing them for 15 years each, a court spokesman said. They were linked to Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda , and Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the court spokesman added

3;20 AFP: Iran, praised by the UN atomic watchdog chief for deciding to cooperate with world powers over its nuclear program , said on Monday it will head with a "positive" approach into the next round of talks later this month.

3:15pm Speaker Nabih Berri is meeting the UAE ambassador to discuss the issue of the expatriate Lebanese that were deported from the UAE.

3:11pm MP Michel Aoun after meeting PM-designate Hariri: I agreed with Hariri on some points, the rest will be discussed in later meetings. A comprehensive agreement on a new government will soon be announced after the completion of consultations.

2:00 pm Caretaker FM Salloukh : We are trying to find a humanitarian solution to the issue of deported Lebanese expats from the UAE, a country with which we have friendly and brotherly relations

1:55pm Hezbollah's MP Mohammed Raad from Baabda: the second phase on names and portfolios could start today.

2:14pm The American University Hospital in Beirut is in urgent need of AB+ blood . Anyone that can help please contact the hospital at 03 -424449 03 - 201461 for additional information

1:10pm Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun are meeting to discuss government formation.

12:20pm Cabinet Minister Mohammed Fneish: The 15-10-5 Cabinet formula is the best solution after having received the approval of all the parties.

12:41pm Guaino meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri.

10:44 Abu Dhabi Supreme Court sentenced Syrian citizen Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq to six months in prison and deportation from the UAE for entering the country on forged passport.

10:39 French President Nicolas Sarkozy's top advisor Henry Guaino is meeting MP Michel Aoun in Rabiyeh.

10:15 Lebanon will switch to daylight-saving time at midnight Saturday, October 24-25.

8:30 Unknown assailants tossed a hand grenade into the Cola neighborhood that resulted in the damage of 4 vehicles.

8:23 MP Hagop Pakradonian told VOL: There won’t be majority or opposition in the new government. It is going to be a government of national unity.

8:20 MP Nidal Tohmeh told VOL: It is unlikely that a government would be formed this week. A Cabinet made from a blend of technocrats and top leaders is the best solution. He accused certain opposition figures of delaying the government formation “until the inspection of the Qom nuclear plant in Iran is performed .”

08:25 Al Hout : al Jamaa al Islamiyah has the right of being represented in the government

8:00 MP Emile Rahme told VOL: The atmosphere is optimistic. I believe, however, that the new government might not satisfy some (leaders).

07:56 MP Kanaan called for a balanced formula that will guarantee security for politicians and dignity for the citizens

07:31 an MP close to Hariri : the positive atmosphere does not point to new obstructions

07:29 FPM official : The government will see the light within a week

07:15 Opposition sources : privatization is the main reason why the majority does not want the opposition to have the ministry of communication
07:08 LBC TV will announce a major layoff in line with al Nahar and MTV

07:06 sectarian activities lead to concern about the security situation in in Ain el Helwe Palestinian refugee camp

06:27 Opposition sources rule out any possibility for government formation before the Saudi Syrian summit

06:00 An Nahar : the visit of the Saudi monarch to Syria will start Tuesday and will last for 3 days . He will be in Halab on Tuesday , Latakia on Wednesday and Thursday in Damascus

Sunday

8:10pm MP Butros Harb told New TV: If I were to choose between a consistent government and a majority one, I’d choose the latter.

7:35pm Al-Manar TV: Sarkozy’s envoys to Damascus have not discussed the Lebanese situation in the meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

7:30pm Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki: Israel poses a threat not only to the region but also to Europe and to the United States.

7:25pm Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife: Lebanon is one of the first countries to reserve large amounts of N1H1 ( swine flu) vaccines that are to arrive in January.