In an interview with Al-Massira magazine that will be published Saturday , Sfeir said that March 14 should have taken command of the rule in Lebanon after the June 7 parliamentary elections
Sfeir considers that Hezbollah is serving Iran's interest more than Lebanon's
"someone on the inside who is leaning on an exterior force to attain parliamentary and ministerial gains".
Sfeir stressed that weapons should be only in the hands of the Lebanese Army, and warned that by keeping its arms Hezbollah could at a certain stage push everyone else to arm.
Sfeir's point is , you cannot coexist in a society where one party is armed and the rest of the parties aren’t …specially when this armed party has used the arms against its fellow citizens .
All the militia in Lebanon handed over their arms over 20 years ago to the Lebanese army with the exception of Hezbollah
The Lebanese have no problem with any party rising to power provided they do it legally, democratically, within the rule of law and with total allegiance to the state . But Hezbollah isn’t this type of party …it rules by using illegal arms, militia and intimidation, has total disrespect to the state and its institutions and acts as a state within a state. Hezbollah and its allies lost the elections last June , but despite their defeat they have been acting as the winners and have been dictating their terms for participating in a so called national unity cabinet just because they are armed
Friday
9;21 pm Hezbollah's Sheikh Naim Qassem lashed out at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir without naming him, saying "the Resistance is Lebanon's strength and we will not renounce it … let the screamers scream as they want, we will preserve a strong Lebanon and we will not accept a weak Lebanon anymore".
08;10 pm AFP : Iran wants more talks on how to procure nuclear fuel for a Tehran reactor before giving a final reply to a UN-drafted deal that was initially expected a week ago, the state IRNA news agency said on Friday
8:00pm The US federal stimulus program has saved or created nearly 650000 jobs through aid to states, infrastructure projects and federal contracts, the Obama administration claimed on Friday
7: 45 : Milos Struger told Al Manar : The employment contract of UNIFIL chief Major General Claudio Graziano ends next January , the UN trusts him and has full confidence in him and the renewal of the contract will be decided by the UN chief
7:31pm : Jumblatt told al Manar TV: I had a good meeting with Hariri , but we did not talk about cabinet portfolios
7:30 pm : the internal security forces have confiscated about 15790 motorbikes during the last 10 days for various violations
6:00pm Hariri: PM-designate Hariri after meeting President Suleiman: There are difficulties regarding negotiations but we are proceeding with discussions . All parties are being positive and they are facilitating the process.The formation of the cabinet is getting near .
Democracy has its price, and sometimes its price is these long dialogues and discussion that we do in order to build the trust that was missing for some time.
5:30 pm: Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak has cancelled a visit to Spain next week . Conflicting reasons were given for this cancellation amidst alleged disagreements between the two nations over the command of the UNIFIL
5:10 pm EU diplomatic service : Six defeats have weakened Syria in Lebanon:
- The Assad regime paid the price for the assassination of Hariri
- Assad's regime was forced to withdraw his troops in 2005
- The 2005 parliamentary victory for March 14 forces.
- Failure in three major attempts carried out by Syria's allies between 2006 and 2008
- June 2009 Victory of the March 14 forces in parliamentary elections.
- Failure of the Assad regime to separate the Lebanese issue from the path of Syria's relations with Arab and foreign countries
5:05pm A meeting is underway between President Michel Suleiman and PM-designate Saad Hariri in Baabda.
3:35 pm Israeli army installed a camera near Fatima Gate on the Lebanese Israeli borders
3:10pm MP Okab Sakr after meeting LF leader Samir Geagea in Maarab: Some blocs are obstructing cabinet formation, but in return there are some blocs are providing some key solution and Maarab's is essential for the solution.
3:00pm LBC: The direction is to hold the Christian-Islamic summit in Bkerki after the agreement on its statement that will deal with vital Lebanese issues.
2:25 Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan snapped back at Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir during Friday prayers without naming him, saying Hezbollah fighters deserve medals of honor for serving Lebanon.
2:18pm Defense Minister Elias Murr issued a decree that extends the date of expiry of licenses to carry arms until Dec 31 2009 rather than October 31.
1:08pm Minister Jebran Bassil during a press conference explained why he is suing many employees at the ministry ...and primarily for not obeying his orders
12:55pm Minister Fawzi Salloukh met with Lebanon’s ambassador to Syria Michel Khoury to discuss the status of the embassy in Damascus
12:50 Asharq al-Awsat : The March 14 majority coalition is pessimistic about the formation of a government unless Iran's and Syria's demands at the regional level were met. "The majority rules out that Iran would let go of the Lebanese government before a deal on its nuclear file has matured," one source said
12:30pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s visitors quoted him as saying that his stance as published in the al- Massira magazine interview is in line with his national stances and statements he made during his sermons.
12:25 pm Justice Minister Najjar is following up the issue of the murder of Andrea Sara Bejjani in New York. Bejjani , a Lebanese national was the president of Royal Investments, a real estate investment company from the United Arab Emirates. She was found with her throat slashed with a knife sticking out. Police say Derrick Praileu 29, a 10 year employee of the hotel where she was living has confessed to killing Bejjani.
12:10 pm Tony Blair's prospects of winning the EU presidency are fading amid serious objections in Europe, with former ally Nicolas Sarkozy appearing to withdraw his support.
12:00 pm Jacques Chirac, the former French President, has been ordered to stand trial for corruption in a case which has shed light on sleaze allegations from his time as Mayor of Paris.
10:50 Several Palestinian refugees at Jal al-Bahr-Tyre camp held a sit-in to protest a notification for 3 families to vacate their homes.
10:10 Minister Elie Marouni told LBC: If the cabinet line-up was made by keeping the same government, then we congratulate Aoun for annulling the results of the polls through political violence.
8:50 Al-Hayat newspaper: Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said that 90% of the government lineup is complete and that the remaining percentage is now being negotiated between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and parliamentary blocs.
8:10 The Egyptian Supreme Court of Emergency State Security, which is looking into the so-called Hezbollah cell, has demanded that Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah should "personally" join the list of 26 suspects whose trial has been adjourned till Nov. 21.
8:00 The interim leader of Honduras says he is ready to sign a pact to end its crisis which could include the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
7:40 Central News Agency sources: Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh arrived in Damascus on Thursday to meet with a number of Syrian officials to help speed up government formation in Lebanon
7:35 MP Alaaedinne Terro told VOL: Hariri and Jumblatt were optimistic about finding common ground on the remaining obstacles. Ghazi Aridi’s presence in the ministry of public works has demonstrated that he is for all of Lebanon, without discrimination and that is why many want him to remain there
7:30 MP Salim Salhab told VOL: A final and decisive meeting will soon be held between Hariri and Aoun to remove the obstacles. I didn’t get any tangible signs of an imminent government formation.
7:00 The Italian president will be visiting Lebanon on Monday to meet with Suleiman
Thursday
10:02 pm MP Boutros Harb told "LBC": I am afraid there is an intention to amend the constitution to make the institutions impotent and decisions impossible unless resolutions are adopted unanimously, and turn Lebanon into another Security Council where some groups have the right to "veto"
8:54pm Lebanese army the house of fugitive Mohammed al-Masri in Hour Taala, wanted for killing soldiers in Ryaa region and clashed with 2 suspects who were seen in a nearby car and killed one of them
8:28pm OTV: Both Marada's Franjieh and Hezbollah's Khalil made it very clear to Hariri that they are not independent mediators but fully committed members of the opposition
8:09pm sources of O TV": the interview of Sfeir by Massira was audited and what was published undermines all attempts at rapprochement in forming a government
8:02 Jumblatt, after meeting Hariri : Public Works Minister is at the ministry and should continue in his position
