Aoun tried to clear Syria’s name with regards to the assassination of Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri .
"All the facts so far have denied accusations made against Syria; and there doesn't seem to be an indictment against Syria through what was published until now."
He said the International Tribunal was politicized in the beginning, "but we hope to see judicial and not political actions in the second phase."
Aoun defended the Memorandum of Understanding he had signed with the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah and praised MP Walid Jumblatt for the strong ties he has re-established with the group
Aoun blamed PM-designate Saad Hariri's allies for hindering government formation .
"Obstruction does not come from Hariri, but from those around him” Aoun said
Aoun said he felt that Hariri has a desire to overcome difficulties facing government formation.
"From here I say that we will form a government even if we were somewhat late," he declared
Aoun denied that the the reappointment of his son-in-law Jebran Bassil as telecoms minister is the main obstruction behind the formation of the cabinet , saying the problem was "much bigger than that."
According to Aoun the majority is scared about his reformist policies "that could nail down many people."
Syria defeated General Aoun in 13 October 1990 which forced him into exile to France. Aoun was able to return to Lebanon in on May 7, 2005 following the eruption of the Cedar Revolution which along with US led International pressure forced the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Tuesday
11:59 pm Hariri and Geagea meet in Maarab
10:30 pm Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vetoed on Tuesday French Foreign Minter Bernard Kouchner's request to visit Gaza. Kouchner had requested to travel to the area during his upcoming visit to Israel and Palestine.
10:22: MP Saqr told MTV: we dont want the issue of Palestinian naturalization subject to auctioning that is why MP Harb proposed an amendment that calls for rejecting naturalization even if opposed by one MP , but FPM MPs Kanaan and Nicolas opposed it
10:05pm president Suleiman said during a press conference : The Israeli spy cells are a blatant aggression against Lebanon Lebanon .Once the Lebanese territories are completely liberated and UNSCR 1701 is fully implemented there will be no more need for the UNIFIL
9:10pm Hariri meets with Tashnaq delegation. Pakradounian says new cabinet will “definitely” be formed within few days
7:15pm Hariri discusses cabinet formation with Jumblatt in downtown office . Transport and Public Works Minister Ghazi Arid and State Minister Wael Abu Faour also attended the meeting
5:30pm Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told Al-Arabiya TV: Telecoms Ministry won't be given to Hezbollah, nor would the Interior Ministry be given to the Free Patriotic Movement.
5:15 pm Hezbollah is "perpetrating to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in Turkey" according to a report in the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot. The newspaper mentioned that the Turkish secret service agency warned that Hezbollah plans to attack Israeli tourists, ships, and planes in addition to Jewish synagogues in Turkey.
4:33pm officials of a cinema in Barbir were arrested for showing indecent movies
3:30pm Al Diar newspaper was fined 50 million LL in the Hariri lawsuit on charges of libel and slander and Ghada Eid and Mariam Bassam were fined 20 million LL each in lawsuit by Judge Shukri , President of the Council of State
3:22 During his official visit to Spain, president Suleiman called for Israeli’s full withdrawal from Lebanon, while Spain said its commitment to Lebanon remains strong
3:20 pm CNN : A presidential runoff between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah will take place on November 7, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission said
3:10pm Lebanon submitted a draft proposal to the UN security council that calls for creating an international court to punish those that kill journalists .It was submitted during UNESCO's annual conference that was held in Paris.
2:16pm The internal security forces arrested a citizen after intentionally cutting himself with a knife following the confiscation of his motorbike due to a traffic violation
2:15pm Baroud : we are very keen on holding the municipal elections on time unless the parliament decides to delay them. Any further delay in governmnt formation will have negative impact on the internal situation
2:05pm Speaker Berri met the new ambassador of Armenia
2:00pm Patriarch Sfeir will be meeting this afternoon the new French ambassador to Lebanon
1;33 pm CNN : Two back-to-back explosions were reported outside a university in Islamabad on Tuesday. At least nine people -- eight women and a man -- were injured in the blasts outside International Islamic University
1 :30 pm Israel added troop reinforcement in Shebaa farms area and the Lebanese army and UNIFIL intensified their patrol activities along the blue line
1;20 pm VOA: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to concede Tuesday that he did not win an outright majority of votes in August's presidential election
1:15pm Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Riza Shibani met Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel in Bikfaya to bid farewell before leaving his post,
12:24pm Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt met last night with SSNP chief Asaad Hardan at the house of a mutual friend and met at his house with Wiam Wahab , the PSP party website reported.
12;00 pm An Nahar : Representatives of Lebanese Forces, the Phalange party, the National Liberal Party, the Democratic Renewal Movement and the General Secretariat of March 14 forces met Monday evening for about 5 hours in Maareb . Discussions focused on the need for continued coordination among March 14 Christians
11:53 Patriarch Sfeir is meeting with former MP and minister fares Boueiz
11:51 PLO"s Zaki said from Bkirki: No naturalization for the Palestinians in Lebanon and no deportations and the sovereignty is only for the Lebanese state and we want justice for the Palestinians
11:20 Parliament renewed the mandate for its bureau board.
11:18 Siniora told reporters as he left the tripartite meeting that the "atmosphere is positive."
11:17 A tripartite meeting was held in Parliament building between Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Fouad Siniora and Premier-designate Saad Hariri.
10:15 A road accident on Maameltein highway near Casino du Liban left six people wounded and resulted in a huge traffic jam.
09:21 caretaker Minister Aridi told Saout al Mada: We were not offered the ministry of communications... Things are moving in a positive manner and in the right direction and we need to build on this momentum to get us out of the impasse so that the new government can see the light
09:06 parliamentary sources : The heart of the problem in forming the government is the competition between the Christian leaders Aoun, Gemayel and Geagea over Christian representation of their parties in the new cabinet
08:29 Palestinian sources : The government will issue a decree soon authorizing the starting of the construction of the Nahr el Bared camp
7:30 Cabinet Minister Jean Ogassapian to VDL: Government formation is close and we hope it will be announced after President Suleiman’s return (from Madrid). Portfolio rotation has been ruled out.
7:00 Reuters:Fifteen members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards force were among those killed in Sunday's suicide bombing attack in the Islamic Republic's volatile southeast, state radio reported on Tuesday.
6:30 Southern Sudan's ruling party welcomed the Obama administration's new policy on Sudan that calls for the implementation of a peace accord between the north and south of the country.
6:00 Bloomberg : A Maryland state scientist, whose work with US defense, space and energy agencies had given him access to classified information, is under arrest on charges of attempting to spy for Israel.
Monday
9:00pm Iran has threatened retaliation against Britain and America after claiming their intelligence services masterminded an attack on its Revolutionary Guard leadership.
8:30 pm Interior minister Baroud : Any further delay in forming the government will have dangerous repercussions on the internal situation
8:20pm Bishop Haddad to Al-Jadeed TV: Hizbullah is honest in helping to free Sader but it has to be more active.
8:05pm Hezbollah's MP Ali Fayad told Al Manar TV: We have questions regarding UNIFIL's role which is being concentrated on detecting the movement of the Lebanese while it should instead be focused on the Israeli movements.
7:55pm PM-designate Saad Hariri met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov for the second time during his visit to Lebanon. The two men discussed the developments in Lebanon and the region as well as bilateral ties.
7:45pm MP Walid Jumblat sent a cable to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that condemned the "terrorist bombing that targeted a group of Iranian Revolutionary Guards leaders".
7:20pm A trailer truck that slid at Kahaleh highway led to the injuring and killing of a score of people. It damaged as many as 12 cars according to initial reports due to brakes' malfunction. The security forces diverted the traffic towards Bsouss.
7:07pm An Israeli technical team protected by Israeli army forces reinstalled today a transmission pole at the peripheries of the Israeli Miskaf Aam settlement facing the Lebanese villages of: Odayssi, Taybeh, Rob Tlateen and Markaba.
6:35pm Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel after meeting the French ambassador: The new cabinet's Policy Statement has to embrace all Lebanese and to include an assertion of Lebanon's sovereignty over all of its territories.
6:30 pm AP: The Jundallah group claims it is fighting to defend the Sunni Baluchi clans against alleged discrimination and abuses by Iran's Shiite majority. The Baluchi historical territory includes portions of the three countries ( Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan), but Jundallah claims it is not seeking a separate homeland or to breakaway from Iran.
