Earlier reports indicated that Abdullah will arrive during the weekend , based on the Syrian information ministry but this morning it was confirmed that he will be there Tuesday.

Some reports indicated that the reason behind the delay of the summit in Damascus is the Saudi desire to include Egyptian president Husni Mubarak and Lebanese president Michel Suleiman . Ya Libnan could not obtain any confirmation that the Saudi wish will be met

There were also some reports indicating that PM designate Saad Hariri may visit Damascus during the summit , but morning reports indicated that such a visit by Hariri is unlikely before the formation of the cabinet

Even though Syria was forced to withdraw its forces from Lebanon following the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 ( father of the PM designate) , it retains influence through its Hezbollah-led allies.

Hezbollah which is funded and backed politically and militarily by Iran is being accused by the parliament majority of using its Christian ally General Michel Aoun , to block the formation of the cabinet until it receives the green signal from Iran. Samir Geagea, a key member of the March 14 majority alliance is convinced that Iran is trying to use the Lebanese card for gains during its negotiations with the west over its nuclear program and for this reason it wants to block the formation of the cabinet until it concludes such a deal

Realizing that Syria is behind the obstruction of the formation of the cabinet , French president Nicolas Sarkozy has dispatched Elysee Secretary-General Claude Gueant to Damascus to urge the Syrian leadership to facilitate the Cabinet line-up within a maximum period of 10 days. Sarkozy also dispatched his envoy Henry Guaino to Lebanon to meet with key Lebanese leaders to stress French support for Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom and independence.

According to An Nahar newspaper Guaino will inform Suleiman about Sarkozy's keenness for cabinet formation "without delay" and will express French concerns about any new obstacles facing Hariri.

According to political advisers the summit in Damascus is behind the rescheduling of the meeting between Aoun and Hariri . Both were supposed to have had a lunch meeting yesterday to work out a deal on cabinet lineup but the meeting was postponed till next Wednesday

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.

3:40pm Speaker Nabih Berri called Secretary General of the League of Arab States and urged him to change his position on postponing discussion of “Goldstone’s Report” concerning Israeli aggression on Gaza.

3:20pm LBC: 2 were wounded as a result of clashes in Ain Tabbaneh , Tripoli between the el Daraweesh and el Kurdi family . One of the wounded was identified as Ahmad el Daraweesh


03:14 MP Sami Gemayel : what is scary and illogical is that every decision requires voting by a majority vote of two thirds and this is a change in the constitution which we totally reject

3:08pm Security source told LBC : the talk about 7000 illegal gulf residents in Lebanon is an exaggeration aimed at scaring people and to divert attention from the deportations by the UAE of Lebanese expats

2:32pm Al Jadded TV: The UAE authorities will issue a statement within the next few hours to clarify its position with regards to the deportation of the Lebanese expats

2:15pm OTV : The Saudi king will visit Damascus either Wednesday or Thursday next week

1;30 pm Firing rockets and rifles, Taliban militiamen attacked American and Afghan military outposts in a daylong siege on Saturday that killed eight US soldiers and two Afghan security forces in one of the deadliest battles ...

1 :13pm Aoun said during his speech at the graduation ceremony of FPM students : There is nothing shameful about my history and I won’t commit any shameful act in the future and I hold you responsible for my success in the future

12:47pm Free Shiite Movement : Tension in the Bekaa town of Shmistar following the attack by Hezbollah supporters against the uncle of Sheikh Hajj Hassan , leader of the Free Shiite Movement

12:20 pm Landslides buried two families in the Philippines as they sheltered in their homes from Asia's latest deadly typhoon, which killed at least 16 people and left more than a dozen villages flooded Sunday.

12:00pm Hezbollah MP Fneish: the government of national unity is a necessity and no one can stand against its creation and the talk about a change in the government formula is worthless since this will take us back to square one

12:00pm CNN: United Nations inspectors will visit Iran's recently disclosed nuclear power plant on October 25, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency announced Sunday from Tehran.

11;30 With no outside help in sight, villagers used their bare hands Sunday to dig out rotting corpses, four days after landslides triggered by a huge earthquake obliterated four hamlets in western Indonesia.

11:20 A military court in Beirut has sentenced two Lebanese nationals Mehdi al-Hajj Hasan, his son, Haidar, and Libyan fugitive Abdel Salam Mohammed to life in prison and hard labor over charges of planning to murder Libya's prime minister. They wanted to revenge the disappearance of Shiite leader Imam Moussa el Sadr who disappeared in 1978 during his visit to Libya

11:18 caretaker health Minister Khalife told Russia today : the number of Swine flu cases is expected to rise during the fall and winter seasons , because it is going to be difficult for doctors to differentiate between the regular influenza and swine flu

10:20 Fadi Habr told Al Jareeda : I expect a government soon supported as a result of the Saudi Syrian summit

10:10 caretaker justice Minister Najjar told future TV: the delay in government formation will lead to a regime crises in Lebanon

08:31 Sources from the majority told al Anbaa newspaper : No government in Lebanon before the Saudi Syrian summit in Damascus

08:27 Aoun will deliver a speech during the graduation ceremony of FPM students

07:49 Al Hayat : The government could be formed within one week and the visit to Hariri before cabinet formation has been ruled out

07:43 Awan newspaper : hundreds of Gulf tourists did not depart from Lebanon at the end of their holidays and there is a big concern that they remained in the country to join terrorist groups

07:13 Minister Marouni told al Balad : we got used to the fact the devil is in the details. We congratulate Aoun for calling Hariri PM designate instead of MP designate

06:55 Geagea : we are not concerned about the security situation unless the opposition wants to start bombing activity

06:30 Opposition sources : No date has been fixed for the Aoun Hariri lunch meeting and no government before the visit of the Saudi monarch to Damascus

20:35 Hezbollah congratulated Hamas on the freeing of women jailed in Israeli prisons.

Saturday

8:25pm Henry Guaino told MTV: The problem is not just Lebanon’s current situation but that of the Middle East as a whole.

8:10pm OTV: Hariri’s 'lunch' with Aoun to take place next week.

7:45pm President Suleiman met Industry French Minister Christian Estrosi and discussed bilateral and mutual industrial relations between both countries.

This minister has been described by the Majority as the king minister that will provide the opposition with the guaranteed third they have been demanding.

The majority has been opposed to the idea of a guaranteed third for the opposition which amounts to a veto power by the opposition .

The president according to media reports is also not comfortable with the idea of a king minister and is willing to accept a cabinet based on a formula of 19 - 11 ( 19 for the majority and 11 for the opposition) provided the parties agree.

The opposition has been threatening to go to the streets similar to what it did on May 7 2008 if it does not get a guaranteed third in the cabinet . FPM's Issam Abu Jamra insisted that the opposition should get a guaranteed third because he said: " Fighting inside the cabinet is better than fighting in the streets. "

Meanwhile PM designate Saad Hariri has been quietly trying to put together a cabinet that will be acceptable to all. He is expected to meet soon with the president to propose his new cabinet.

Even though the Hezbollah-led opposition lost the parliamentary elections last June they are trying to use the power of their arms to make up for their loss in the polls. This is why the issue of Hezbollah arms will be the dominant subject when the dialogue talks resume after the cabinet is formed

For more details about the makeup of the Lebanese cabinet please refer to Monday's editorial

Tuesday

7:00 pm The Druze Religious Council: "UNIFIL forces in the south was never an enemy for the Lebanese people and must never turn into one," the council said after its regular meeting presided by Sheikh Naim Hassan

6:15pm President Michel Suleiman met Minister of State Nassib Lahoud at Baabda Palace.

5:30pm Premier-designate Saad Hariri is meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams.

5:15pm The army arrested fugitive Haitham Amhaz in Hay al-Sellom.

3:20pm Minister Ghazi al-Aridi: The ministry of public works will deliver all rights to their owners if it maintains the same level of performance.

2:15pm Caretaker Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar is meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh.

2:00pm Four Israeli tanks were deployed at a 100-meter distance from the Gate of Hassan Qassab amid military over-flights. The army and UNIFIL were placed on high alert.

1:55pm Marada leader Suleiman Franjiyeh: The opposition is clinging to its demand for veto power. Let them give us the 11th minister and we won’t argue about shares.

1:17pm The tripartite meeting in Naqoura ended. A statement will be issued later.

1:10pm MP Raad after meeting the president: I felt there is some progress which leads to more improvement in the cabinet issue.

12:45pm Amyoun-Koura residents condemned lack of water supply. They held a protest headed by Ghassan Karam, deputy president of the municipality.

12:15pm Iranian ambassador Mohammed Reza Shibani after meeting the foreign minister: I am optimistic about formation of a cabinet. Everyone should be optimistic and have high hopes.

11:45 MP Oqab Saqr told New TV: Hariri is presenting an inter-Lebanese solution for the cabinet. Maybe Lebanon could become a gateway for Arab agreement. I don’t think the opposition would give Aoun the 6 ministers that he asking for.

11:35 MP Hikmat Deeb told New TV: Contacts between Hariri and Aoun over cabinet formation are almost nonexistent. But the opposition still holds onto its demands for veto power, proportional representation and respect for true partnership.

11:30 Caretaker PM-Fouad Siniora met with Papal Ambassador to Lebanon Luigi Gatti who made a farewell visit.

11:18 MP Elie Aoun told al-Sharq radio: The meeting between MPs Walid Jumblatt and Michel Aoun hasn’t matured yet. The Bikfaya meeting is a positive improvement on the Christian front.

11:15 Minister Tony Karam told LBC: The atmosphere is positive regarding a meeting between LF leader Samir Geagea and Marada head Suleiman Franjiyeh. Nothing prevents such a meeting from taking place.

11:00 MP Ahmed Fatfat told Future News: The main obstacle is in demands for veto power to change the Lebanese political system. We are in a political battle. The issue is not about cabinet formation.

10:56 Williams calls for Israel to remove observation post from Kfar Shouba

09:25 March 14 sources told al Rai : Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has once again brought up the issue of the arms in an attempt to maximize gain in the new cabinet at the expense of the majority

09:19 Shortly a security meeting will be held in Naqoura between officers of the army and UNIFIL to discuss the violations of UNSCR 1701

09:05 55 who were wanted were arrested for committing various crimes

8:30 MP Butros Harb told VOL: There is a serious attempt by President Suleiman and Hariri to reach a settlement on a Cabinet lineup during the remaining days of July.

08:11 BBC‎ : A boat carrying up to 200 migrants from Haiti has capsized off the coast of the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, the US Coast Guard says.

08:10 : An Islamic fundamentalist group in northern Nigeria expanded its attacks into three additional states on Monday, a day after at least 50 people died during fighting between the group and security forces in Bauchi State

8:00 Bloomberg : US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pledged to rein in the US deficit as China underscored concern about preserving the value of its $801.5 billion of Treasury holdings.

07:35 Salhab told "Voice of Lebanon:" I think the optimism of President Berri is for real and it is very possible that we will see some positive developments in the next two days, but I do not expect a government to be formed before the end of the month

07:15 Allan Aoun: Any Christian reconciliation needs time to be studied in depth so as not to become just a meeting

07:05 opposition source told Al Akhbar :" We are concerned that the regional equation is still in control of the government formation

06:52 Aoun visitors : There are no indications that the serious issues have been resolved with regards to the government

06:43 Al Akhbar : President Suleiman suggested the names of Adnan al Sayyed Hussein and Talal al Miqdad , and wants to pick one as his Shiite share in the cabinet provided there is no veto against him by the Shiites

06:08 An MP who is close to Hariri told al Akhbar : the solution that Hariri will present will be Lebanese - Lebanese and could serve as the gateway to the Syrian - Saudi Arabia solution

06:00 Salloukh told An Nahar: we have included in our response what is needed and we based our response on what we received from the Lebanese army in describing what really happened . ( In reference to the Kherbet Selim explosion of arms depot)

05:50 As Safir : Jumblatt suggested to Hariri the name of Talal Arslan as one of the 3 Druze ministers on condition he will be included in the share of the share of the opposition

05:45 As Safir : Adnan al Sayyed Hussein is the guaranteed third ( king minster , obstructive third or veto power as described by March 14) of the opposition, and he will be included in the share of the President of the Republic

05:38 "An-Nahar:" President Suleiman rejected the concept of " King minister," and stressed that he is willing to accept accepted him based on a formula of 19 - 11 ( 19 for the majority and 11 for the opposition) provided the parties agree

05:28 Marada sources: The Suleiman - Franjiyeh meeting was excellent

05:20 Ba'abda visitors told an Nahar : Much of what has been quoted about President Suleiman is inaccurate and can be best described as "conflicting leaks "

Monday

11:10 pm : Hariri discussed with Jumblatt the current status of cabinet formation

8:30pm Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel visited PM-designate Hariri at his mansion in downtown Beirut and discussed the overall political situation in the country with special focus on establishment of a new Cabinet.

06:55 pm Reconciliation in Kherbet Selim during a meeting held between the town’s Municipality, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah , Amal MP Ali Bazzi, and UNIFIL Commander Claudio Graziano

05:50 pm Jumblatt wrote in Al-Anbaa newspaper: “Is it acceptable to allow Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, two symbols of Zionism, to participate in the ceremony of the Egyptian Embassy in Israel in order to commemorate the revolution and talk about peace?"

05:49 pm Fatfat in response to Berri: Jumblatt is still in March 14 and his ministers will be included in the majority

05:10 pm president Suleiman praised Franjiyeh’s effort to reconcile with other Lebanese parties

5:05pm Phalange leader Amin Gemayel met Environment Minister Tony Karam, who was dispatched by LF leader Samir Geagea.

04:35 pm Zahle in our Heart MP Okab Sakr told Akhbar al-Yaum: Hariri will propose a road map to Suleiman to resolve cabinet crisis. He added :“Within days, Lebanese will know which party aims at ending the crisis in Lebanon, and which one wants to obstruct the institutions’ work.”

4:15pm PM-designate Saad Hariri received Qatari Deputy PM al-Attiya at Center House, discussions focused on current developments and bilateral relations.

02:45 pm President Michel Suleiman meets with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjiyeh in Baabda

02:39 pm US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell called on Arab states on Monday to fully normalize ties with Israel after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

02:30 pm US Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrives in Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, AFP reports

1 :58 pm President Michel Suleiman called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday to discuss his meeting with US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell

1 :55pm Sfeir calls for relying on Taif Accord to form cabinet. He stressed that the president has an active role in forming the cabinet and safeguarding the constitution.

1:50pm FPM leader Michel Aoun in his weekly editorial: We no longer know where and who is forming the cabinet

12:40 pm President Sarkozy left hospital today as officials denied that a heart problem had led to his collapse during a run yesterday. Sarkozy walked out of Val-de-Grâce military hospital in Paris and shook hands with medical staff before climbing into a state limousine with Carla Bruni, his wife.

12:39pm four wounded in a traffic accident near army checkpoint on the Tripoli -Dineyeh road

12:28pm UNFIL chief : we are doing all we can for the sake of the prosperity of the southern Lebanese residents by maintaining security and peace in cooperation with the Lebanese army

The Amazon rain forest, the Dead Sea, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Ecuador's Galapagos islands are also among the finalists, according to the organization New 7 Wonders led by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber.

People can vote by Internet or phone. The winners will be announced in 2011 and share in the glory already enjoyed by the seven man-made wonders chosen two years ago.

Over 1 billion people are expected to join in the voting, said Weber.

"This campaign should contribute to the appreciation — to the knowledge — of our environment and not just the one in our country but worldwide," he told The Associated Press. "If we or our children want to save anything, we should first appreciate it."

A panel of experts chose the finalists among the 77 nominees that gained the most votes in an early round of polling. People had suggested 261 landmarks in countries all over the world.

The panel chaired by Federico Mayor, former chief of UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, picked the finalists depending on geographical balance, diversity and the importance to human life, Weber said.

He said he was happy to see that the nominees include places that lie in more than one country, such as the Dead Sea or the Amazon rain forest, which makes people work together across borders.

"Already from the nomination phase, we see the enthusiasm of big countries," Weber said, adding that particular high numbers of votes have come in from Indonesia.

High voter participation has come from other Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, as well as from Latin America, he said.

Weber declined to give any numbers of votes so far. But the organization plans to release detail about voter profiles later, he added. Registration on the Web site aims to prevent people from voting twice.

"U.S. voters' participation is always quite high up," he said.

Africa, where most people vote by mobile phones, has had the biggest increase in votes over the last few weeks, Weber said.

The finalists also include Azerbaijan's Mud Volcanoes, , Ireland's Moher Cliffs and Germany's Black Forest.

Around 100 million people voted in the selection of the seven man-made wonders in 2007. The winners were the Colosseum, Italy; the Great Wall of China; the Taj Mahal, India; Petra, Jordan; Christ the Redeemer Statue, Brazil; Machu Picchu, Peru; and the Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

Choosing world wonders has been a continuing fascination over the centuries. UNESCO keeps updating its list of World Heritage Sites, which now totals 890 places.

The New 7 Wonders campaign aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments and natural sites. It relies on private donations and revenue from selling broadcasting rights.

The Jeita grotto is huge 12 km ( 7.5 miles) and consists of an upper and a lower limestone gallery. Through the lower gallery runs a little river, the main source of the Nahr Al Halb ( The Dog River) . You can walk(only 2 km) 1.25 miles and go by boot in this wonderful cave, which is enlightening , and you can admire world’s longest stalactite, hanging 8 meters from the ceiling.

Here are 3 more pics of the Jeita grotto:

VOTING FOR JEITA GROTTO CAN ONLY BE DONE VIA

www.new7wonders.com

ANY OTHER VOTING METHOD MAY RESULT IN THE PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THIS NOMINEE FROM THE COMPETITION.

Voting was on hold but resumes on 21 July 2009 voting . The New 7 Wonders of Nature, will be revealed in 2011.

WHY VOTE FOR JEITA GROTTO ?

Jeita Grotto is a compound of crystallized caves in Lebanon located 20 km north of Beirut in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River). This grotto is made up of TWO LIMESTONE CAVES , upper galleries and a lower cave through which a 6230 m long river runs. Geologically, the caves provide a tunnel or escape route for the underground river.

In this cave and galleries, the action of water in the limestone has created cathedral-like vaults full of various sizes, colors and shapes of stalactites and stalagmites, majestic curtains and fantastic rock formations.

The cave has one of the BIGGEST STALACTITES IN THE WORLD hanging 8,20 m ( about 27 feet)

The grotto accommodates a HUGE HALL with a distance of 108 m from the ceiling till the water level.

Jeita Grotto is truly a masterpiece

Lebanese vote on June 7 in a poll that pits an alliance including Hezbollah -- an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shi'ite group that Washington classifies as terrorist -- against an anti-Syrian coalition now holding a majority in parliament.

Biden said he was in Lebanon to show U.S. support for the country's sovereignty and institutions and added that the Lebanese alone should choose their own leaders.

"I do not come here to back any party," he told reporters after talks with President Michel Suleiman.

The vice president said the United States was committed to comprehensive peace in the Middle East, including Lebanon.

"I urge those who would think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers," Biden added.

Hezbollah criticized Biden's visit, which followed one by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April, as meddling in Lebanon, and denounced U.S. support for its arch-foe Israel.

"The high American interest in Lebanon raises strong suspicion as to the real reason behind it, especially since it has become a clear and detailed intervention in Lebanese affairs," Hezbollah said in a statement.

U.S. MILITARY AID

Biden, who visited Serbia and Kosovo earlier this week, also met Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri before heading to the house of MP Nayla Mouawad to meet leaders of the Cedar Revolution. He is expected later to join Defense Minister Elias al-Murr for an announcement on U.S. military aid to Lebanon.

Since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the United States has expanded military assistance to Lebanon to strengthen its armed forces as a counterweight to Hezbollah, the only Lebanese faction to remain armed after the 1975-1990 civil war.

U.S. military aid to Lebanon since 2006 has exceeded $400 million. Planned deliveries include artillery, tanks and aerial drones as well as light weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Biden's visit was the first by an American vice president to Lebanon since 1983, the year when Shi'ite suicide bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and Marine headquarters, and the most senior U.S. visit since that time, a U.S. embassy official said.

Hezbollah, founded to fight Israel's occupation of Lebanon after a 1982 invasion, has since entered domestic politics to secure legitimacy as an armed resistance group. Many analysts predict a small swing toward Hezbollah and its allies in the June 7 election. Opinion polls are not reliable.

Saad al-Hariri led a U.S.- and Saudi-backed coalition to victory in the 2005 election, held soon after an outcry over the assassination of his statesman father Rafik al-Hariri forced Syria to end its 29-year military presence in Lebanon.

US Vice President Joe Biden being welcomed by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman at the Baabda palace

US Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Ain el Tinah

US Vice President Joe Biden with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Government headquarters in the Grand Serail Palace

Other devices shown to reporters and photographers included a car battery charger that the police said was used to store and transmit data and USB flash drives containing detailed maps of Lebanon. Some of the maps showed bridges and military outposts that were hit by Israeli warplanes during the 2006 war with Hezbollah, police said.

The equipment was seized from Palestinians and from Lebanese who were spying for Israel, they said.

In recent weeks, Lebanese authorities say they have arrested at least 14 suspected spies in the latest episode in the long-running espionage battle between the two countries.

The arrests, which took place mainly in southern Lebanon, appear to be part of a stepped-up campaign against those suspected of gathering information on Hezbollah militants for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrilla group fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon and 159 in Israel.

"Based on the investigation, it appears that their basic logistics mission focused on defining locations, targets, buildings and outposts as demanded by the enemy intelligence," a police officer told reporters as he displayed the captured items at police headquarters.

The suspected spies were also asked to monitor specific people and strategic targets and to conduct a wide-scale survey of many areas in Lebanon and Syria by using highly sophisticated surveying equipment, the officer said, refusing to be identified by name in line with government regulations.

"Military maps were seized from some agents who defined hundreds of targets in Lebanese territory" before and after the 2006 war, the officer said. He added that investigation showed that all these targets, including buildings, bridges and military outposts, were bombed by Israeli warplanes during the war.

A masked officer pointed to the items as his colleague read from a prepared statement and refused to take questions.

He said the agents used the equipment provided to them by Israel to relay information via "coded radio messages" through satellite or the Internet. One coded transmission device shown to reporters was built into the interior of a cabinet.

Officers also seized forged Lebanese passports and job application forms that they said were to be filled out by potential agents either in southern Lebanon or abroad in the name of a commercial company.

Most of the recent arrests were based on information from a retired Lebanese general charged with spying for Israel last month along with his wife and his nephew, who was a government security agent, Lebanese security officials have said.

Israeli officials have refused to comment on the recent arrests. "It is not our practice to comment on these sorts of allegations when they arise, not in this case, not in any case," government spokesman Mark Regev said Friday.

Lebanon considers itself at war with Israel and bans its citizens from having any contact with the Jewish state.

Hezbollah's TV station has said the arrests were the result of coordinated efforts between the group's security branch and the intelligence arms of the police and the military.

Top picture: A masked Lebanese security official in Beirut displays equipment used by arrested men suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad May 11, 2009.

Clinton , who was accompanied by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs Jeffrey Feltman and U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison delivered a message from United states president Barack Obama to Suleiman assuring the Lebanese of US continued support for a sovereign and free Lebanon and to stress the special ties between the US and Lebanon.

In a press conference following her meeting with Suleiman Clinton pledged that the current U.S.-Syrian rapprochement will not come at the expense of Lebanon. "There is nothing that we would do in any way that would undermine Lebanon's sovereignty," Clinton said She added : "So I want to reassure any Lebanese citizen that the United States will never make any deal with Syria that sells out Lebanon or the Lebanese people."

She said the purpose of her trip was to "deliver a message of support for an independent and sovereign Lebanon" to Suleiman from Obama

In reference to June 7 parliamentary elections she said: "The people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections, without the specter of violence or intimidation, and free of outside influence,"

"We join the international community in supporting the Lebanese government's efforts to achieve that goal," she added.

"Beyond the election, we will continue to support the voices of moderation in Lebanon, and the responsible institutions of the Lebanese state they are working hard to build," Clinton said

Clinton expressed US support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and stressed the need for "an absolute end to an era of political assassinations."

Following the press conference she visited the tomb of former prime minister Rafik Hariri and was met at the site by his son MP Saad Hariri. She signed the visitors book at Hariri's tomb and wrote: "Those who killed Rafik al-Hariri did not kill his dream of an independent, free and prosperous Lebanon and will never be able to do so. His life and legacy will continue to inspire people everywhere. May God bless his memory, his family and his beloved country."

As expected, the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah group was not overjoyed with Clinton's visit. Its spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi speculated that Clinton's visit could even have a negative impact on the pro-U.S. factions in the country. He told Hezbollah's mouthpiece Al Manar TV " It was too early to tell whether the Obama administration has reassessed its policy, but American interference in the past was never positive."

US secretary of State Hillary Clinton with president Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace

US secretary of State Hillary Clinton accompanied by a delegation met Lebanese president Michel Suleiman in the presence of Lebanese Foreign minister fawzi salloukh and other key Lebanese officials

US secretary of State Hillary Clinton signing the visitors book at Hariri's tomb in downtown Beirut : She wrote: "Those who killed Rafik al-Hariri did not kill his dream of an independent, free and prosperous Lebanon and will never be able to do so. His life and legacy will continue to inspire people everywhere. May God bless his memory, his family and his beloved country."

US secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Parliament majority leader MP Saad Hariri

according to Sunday press reports.

Defendant Mohammed Youssef Mansour, also known as Sami Shihab, was among 49 suspects arrested over the past five months and accused of plotting attacks in Egypt on behalf of Hezbollah. A claim the Lebanese group denied saying Shihab was responsible for helping transport arms to the Gaza Strip.

Al Hayat newspaper reported Sunday that during a hearing on Saturday, Egypt's High State Security prosecution "officially charged Mansour with joining a secret and illegal organization with the aim of overthrowing the regime, endangering public peace and abusing the law."

Attorney Montasser al-Zayat, who represented Mansour at the hearing, said the investigations were "null and void" since they were conducted at night with each session lasting for more than ten hours with no regard to the defendant's "mental and physical state."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Geith said the case "will be dealt with by the Egyptian judiciary and will not be subject to political interference or mediation attempts."

Al Hayat newspaper also reported that Egypt has filed a lawsuit against al Manar TV demanding the Hezbollah-owned station to "stop using Egyptian broadcasting satellite Nilesat, which is controlled by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior. The lawsuit also criticized Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for "insulting the government, the president and the people by allowing al Manar to broadcast fabricated news about Egypt."

Sunday

21:44 Arslan told New TV: I will start tomorrow to prepare for a meeting between the Dhahiya and the Mountain ( red between Hezbollah and Jumblatt) to close the last May page and start a new page of reconciliation

20:17 Amin Gemayel told MTV : The Metn battle continues and we are trying to prepare an electoral list that is very inclusive and within few days the details will be announced

20:05 Fares Soueid from the campaign trail: We refuse to allow the election centers to become armed

20:03 MTV reported from Nassib Lahoud sources: I haven’t had any direct or indirect contact with Gemayel for several months and the Lebanese Forces did not deliver to me any message from him

20:00 A female thief was arrested 6 hours after stealing jewelery in Sour ( Tyre)

19:42 Hamas delegation is back in Egypt to resume the dialogue talks

19:29 Michelle Alliot-Marie, the French minister of interior is in Beirut to push for cooperation in anti-terrorism and drugs as well as administrative management system and civil defense.

18:53 London : An Indian businessman was accused of brokering an Israeli arms shipment

17:46 The French Minister of the Interior Michèle Alliot-Marie arrived in Beirut

17:44 Arslan : The wise person is the one who puts an end to the violence . Our only enemy is Israel and will remain with Jumblatt to safeguard the country

17:34 Arslan : the May 11 agreement was the basis of the Doha accord ...we are not enemies . Only ignorance transforms a dispute into hostility . We will continue to protect the backs of the resistance

17:31 Jumblatt : I will not deny what the media has reported because I am against isolationism and I hereby emphasize the reconciliation in the Dhahiya and Shouifat and Mountains

17:30 The reconciliation meeting between the Shouifat families began in the Serail in the presence of MP Walid Jumblatt and Minsier Talal Arslan and in the absence of Hezbollah delegation

15:32 Al Manar sources: The UAE authorities arrested Siddique in Sharjah and will hand him over soon to the Syrian authorities

14:41 MP Marwan Hamade from Baaqleen: New TV report is divisive and was in violation of the privacy of a meeting for Jumblatt , by trying to create trouble between March 14th and PSP

14:31 PM Siniora from Sidon : We emphasize the importance of the democratic system, which will never improve unless there was opposition

12:30 Siniora: The time has come for Sidon to have a united front.

11:15 Prime Minister Fouad Siniora arrived in Sidon where he will resume meetings with the city's main figures and families.

10:30 Former MP Nazem Khouri told LBC: There can be no change, reform or resistance without state sponsorship nor can there be a future. The main crisis here can be summed up by saying that each person wants an individualized Lebanon. I have asked Aoun to support the presidency , not necessarily the president himself and could agree to work together in Jubail

8:35 Aoudeh: Lebanese have a national duty to vote and they must chose an honest candidate, who will not pay more or make promises. A ruler must be decent and must place public interest above the interest of a sect, religion or family name.

8:30 Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Awdeh during Easter mass: The Lebanese will lose their country if they do not unite over respecting their homeland and army and over safeguarding the foundations of this country.

Saturday

20:15 lawyer in charge of defending the detained Hezbollah members in Egypt: A decision was made to refer Shihab to the forensic doctor since he has not changed his underwear since he was arrested and is suffering from ringing in the ear

18:50 President Suleiman : “Let us transform Lebanon into the Switzerland of the East… and Beirut as the Paris of the Arabs,” Suleiman said as he called for restoring Lebanon’s leading regional role so it could attract foreign investment. He added : All the parties have yielded heroes , let's focus on dialogue

18:42 MP Streda Geagea from the Cedars of Bcharri : I am lucky to be from Bcharri and for being a member of the Lebanese Forces , the party that solidly stands for the Lebanese independence , sovereignty and freedom.

18:42 MP Elie Kairuz: We are in this campaign to make sure our efforts and sacrifices are not wasted and to prevent the country from returning back to the era of Syrian tutelage and to foil the desperate attempts for a coup against the state ( In reference to the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah-led opposition and the Wilayat al Faqih type of government)

18:20 MP Butros Harb: Our battle is that of independence and not exploitation, we called for raising the Lebanese flag and not any other flag. We don’t believe that one state within another can survive and we cannot allow all Lebanese to carry arms.

18:00pm MP Antoine Zahra at the March 14 Forces electoral list launching: They obtained veto power following the Doha agreement and paralyzed the state and all achievements; they won’t have it again.

17:25 MP Aoun after meeting Minister Arslan : we have some problems in finalizing the Baabda electoral list and we hope this will be resolved within the coming few days

17:22 Arslan from Rabiyah : The Baabda and Aley electoral lists will be announced within few days

17:20 MPs Butros Harb and Antoine Zahra launch their electoral campaign in Batroun.

17:15 Lebanese Forces launch their electoral campaign in the Bshari region for MPs Streda Geagea and Elie Kairuz.

Amin Jihad Khansa was snatched from a bus-stop on his way to school on Monday. Hours after he was seized, the kidnappers contacted his family and demanded a $1.5 million ransom for his safe release, sparking the three-day investigation that led to his rescue.

But their plans were thwarted by quick-thinking security officers who captured members of the gang and forced them to reveal his whereabouts without spooking the remaining kidnappers, a security source told The Daily Star on Thursday.

The source identified the leader of the gang as Abdel-Nasser Hassan Miqdad, who lives in the same building as the kidnapped boy. Officials say Miqdad comes from a wealthy family, and had spent time observing the habits of the Khansa family in order to plan the kidnap.

Undercover officers were immediately posted to the building where the family lived to search for clues in Amin's disappearance. Meanwhile, on Tuesday a second call was made to the family demanding the money.

By this time, investigators believed that the kidnap was entirely motivated by money and felt that they could buy time by promising the ransom would be paid. On the instructions of the police, Jihad Khansa, Amin's father ( pictured with son) , said he would gather the cash within 24 hours. "His abductors were solely interested in money," a security official told AFP news agency on Thursday.

The breakthrough in the hunt for the missing boy came on Wednesday. Undercover officers posted to monitor the building where the family live overheard two men, Ibrahim Ahmad and Ahmad Sheiko, discussing whether handcuffs may have injured their captive's hands. They apprehended the suspects immediately.

They were questioned for eight hours in a police station while security forces hatched a plan to rescue Amin. By this time, the kidnappers had confessed their involvement and were forced by security officials to telephone Miqdad to say that they were delivering the money.

A car was hired, and two armed officers hid in the back, holding one of the men at gunpoint and forcing him to drive to the Aley district, where they said that Amin was being held.

Miqdad came to meet them, thinking that the kidnapping was going according to plan, but the armed officers sprang out on him and forced him to take them to the house, where they found Amin, tied up and spread-eagled on a bed.

A fourth kidnapper, Ali Ahmad, was arrested at the scene. Investigators found that the boy had been drugged and bound, but was otherwise unharmed. "He is good shape and has been reunited with his parents," a security official said on Thursday.

Amin's family are delighted to have their son back. "We spent three awful days," his father said after his release. "But thank God, my son is perfect condition. He is a hero."

Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, who announced the rescue in a press conference on Thursday, said that the operation shows that people can trust the security forces and pledged to continue their development. His comments were echoed by Premier Fouad Siniora, who praised the "high level of professionalism" displayed by the security forces. President Michel Suleiman said that is was the duty of the security forces to ensure the people's rights regardless of any obstructions and difficulties.

Top photo: From left Jihad Khansa, Amine Jihad's father , Lebanese security chief Asraf Riffi , Amin and Minister of interior Ziad Baroud

The Lebanese presidential Palace issued today the following statement:

"President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday approved the nomination of Ali Abdel Karim Ali as the Syrian Arab Republic's ambassador to Beirut."

Ali,56 , has been Syria's ambassador to Kuwait since November 2004 and has also served as the head of Syria's official News agency SANA.

Lebanon last week opened its first embassy in Damascus and has named its first ambassador as Michel Khoury. Khoury is the current Lebanese ambassador to Cyprus

Syria had opened its Beirut embassy last December .

Syria has faced international pressure to establish formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon, which had been dominated for decades by its larger neighbor until the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Establishment of formal relations had been a central demand of anti-Syrian Lebanese factions that won an election in 2005 following the Hariri killing and the withdrawal of Syrian troops who had first entered Lebanon in 1976.

The United States and France had led pressure on Syria to establish formal ties with Lebanon. Syria had resisted the move, citing the countries' shared history and close ties. Syria and Lebanon were carved out of the Ottoman Empire by imperial powers France and Britain in the 20th century.

Syria has yet to meet international demands to formally demarcate its border with Lebanon.

Syria dominated politics in Lebanon until the Hariri assassination, which increased international pressure on Damascus to withdraw its troops from the country.

Anti-Syrian politicians have accused Syria of orchestrating the assassination of Hariri and other anti-Damascus figures. Syria has always denied the accusations.

About Syria's first ambassador to Lebanon

Education: BA in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Damascus

Professional experience : Prior to moving to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has worked in the print media , radio and television in Syria for more than twenty-five years , where he held various positions, including:

- Director of Broadcasting

- Director of Television

- General Manager and Chief Editor of Syrian Arab news agency (SANA)

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he held the following positions

2002 - 2003: Deputy Ambassador to the Syrian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

2003 -2004: Charge d'affairesof the Syrian Embassy in Kuwait.

Since November 2004: Syrian ambassador in Kuwait.

Ali is a Political analyst and writer and poet and writes on politics and literature on an ongoing basis. In 1998 he issued his collection of poems under the title : "Invocations of a cold summer"

He is married with four children , 2 girls and 2 boys

The military said in a statement that the incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. local time on Friday (5 p.m. EDT, Thursday), when the USS Hartford, a submarine, and the USS New Orleans, an amphibious ship, collided.

According to the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, 15 sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly injured but able to return to duty. No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans.

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Both ships were heading to port and were going in the same direction when the incident occurred in the narrow strait, said 5th Fleet spokesman, Lt. Nate Christensen. He said the incident occurred at night and the submarine was submerged at the time but that he could give no further details as the collision is still under investigation.

Both vessels are now heading to port for repairs and evaluation, but Christensen said that following standard security procedures he could not say where the vessels were headed.

The New Orleans suffered a ruptured fuel tank, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 25,000 gallons (95,000 liters) of diesel fuel. There was no damage the nuclear reactor powering the Hartford, Christensen said.

Both ships are currently operating under their own power.

The Navy said both ships were on regularly scheduled deployments to the region and conducting security operations.

Oil prices rose after news of the collision which happened in a busy shipping route.

As much as 17 million barrels of oil a day went through the narrow strait in the first half of 2008, or about 40 percent of all seaborne traded oil or 20 percent of all oil traded globally.

The Hartford is based in Groton, Conn. and the New Orleans is based in San Diego, Calif., the Navy said. As all U.S. submarines, the Hartford is nuclear powered. The New Orleans is an amphibious transport dock ship.

The opening of embassies in Beirut and Damascus sealed the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries for the first time since they gained independence from France in the 1940s. Syria opened an embassy in Beirut in December.

Relations between the long-feuding neighbors reached a turning point in August when the two agreed to establish ties and demarcate their contentious border. The agreement marked a final break in Syria's longtime dominance over its smaller neighbor.

Diplomatic ties with Syria has been a pressing demand by Lebanon's anti-Syrian factions, the United States and other Western countries.

Lebanon has named career diplomat Michel Khoury, currently Lebanon's ambassador to Cyprus, as its ambassador in Damascus. Khoury is expected to take office next month. Syria has yet to name its ambassador to Lebanon.

The Lebanese Embassy was opened with little fanfare. Lebanese Charge d'Affaires Rami Mourtadaha watched as the Lebanese flag was raised atop the embassy building in one of Damascus' upscale district next to the U.S. Embassy.

A sign reading "The Embassy of the Lebanese Republic" was posted at the embassy's entrance.

No Syrian officials were seen at the opening ceremony.

Relations between the two Arab nations have been dominated by Syria since the 1970s, when Syria sent its army into Lebanon, which was engulfed in civil war.

Syria maintained control there for nearly 30 years. Its hold began to unravel after former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a 2005 car bombing that many Lebanese blame on Syria — a charge Damascus denies.

After Hariri's assassination, Syria caved to U.S.-led international pressure and Lebanese outrage and withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005.

lebanon embassy sign - damascus

An Arabic Sign reading "Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon" is pictured in Damascus March 16, 2009. A Lebanese embassy opened in Damascus on Monday after international pressure on the Syrian government to establish diplomatic ties and treat its neighbor as a fully sovereign country.

The entrance of the Lebanon embassy in Damascus March 16, 2009.

Front of the Lebanon embassy in Damascus March 16, 2009.

The conference at the Biehl ceneter marking the launching of the March 14 election campaign was attended by the leaders of the Cedar Revolution

Soueid listed the main issues of the campaign as follows :

1- To protect Lebanon against Israeli aggression and regaining Shebaa via UNSCR 1701.

2- To impose the authority of the state on all its territories. There should be no arms other than those of the Lebanese state.

3 - To end the dispute with Syria and build normal, friendly relations based on the Taef accord, to complete our diplomatic relations, with border control and demarcation, to end the issue of Lebanese detainees.

4- To provide harmony between Lebanon and the international community, not to place Lebanon in confrontation with the international community.

5- We will work to regain Lebanon's Arab role, commit to supporting the Palestinian people and Authority’s struggle in establishing an independent state with its capital Jerusalem.

6- we will pursue our strict commitment in not settling Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and adopting a draft law presented by March 14 MPs 6 months ago to amend the constitution on the issue

7 - We are committed to state building through the implementation of the Taef accord and securing the free and just presence of all sects.

8- To commit to the requirements of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a manner that guarantees Lebanon’s safety and stability.

9- To provide the necessary commitments for returning displaced citizens and to finally close this issue once and for all.

10 - To protect Lebanon and the Lebanese internally and externally from the ramifications of the international financial crisis, to put in place an effective program regarding our national debt.

11- To implement economic, social and development policies.

12 - To secure wider participation of women in Lebanon’s political, economic and social life and in the decision making process

13- To commit to the cause of the Lebanese Diaspora, in securing them with equal rights and duties particularly in their right to vote.

14 - To put an end to the environmental deterioration in Lebanon via a strategy of sustainable development.

Soueid concluded his speech by stressing that March 14 alliance forces" undertake to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity throughout their campaign in the upcoming elections and in all the electoral districts of country "

He added :"March 14 members that will be elected to the future Parliament pledge to pursue these issues with all seriousness and responsibility by returning to constitution whether they are ruling or in the opposition and will pursue the real spirit of partnership in government away from the logic of disruption."

Soueid stressed that "The March 14 Forces strongly belief that political stability and security are the foundations for job creation, providing proper health services , and education and for this reason one of its first priorities is to call for a socio-economic conference "

He added: "We want to turn the page on the internal conflict and to pursue non-violence and peaceful policies . In spite of the violence that we have faced from the other side we renew the call today for non-violence and peaceful policies. We hereby repeat our call to the opposition reach out "

He ended the speech by declaring : " June 7, 2009 is a turning point in the course of history , which started on 14 March 2005 , a course which was hard and in which many dear lives and Halal money was lost"

According to An Nahar daily the March 14 majority alliance conducted in-depth and extensive deliberations before finalizing the election campaign charter and that MP Walid Jumblatt was very instrumental refining the language of the charter "by including a reference to Lebanon's Arab identity and toning down demands for Lebanon's neutralization."

Supporters of Lebanon's anti-Syrian "March 14" parliamentary majority coalition watch as they announce their political general election programme in Beirut March 14, 2009.

March 14 leaders raise their hands after announcing their political general election programme in Beirut on March 14, 2009.
Saad al-Hariri (5th L) parliament majority leader , (L-R) MP Elias Atallah, PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt, MP Bassem al-Sabaa, former president Amin Gemayel, parliament majority leader MP Saad al-Hariri and Leader of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea,

"Long live Iraq!" shouted Muntadar al-Zaidi, the 30-year-old Iraqi television journalist, as the sentence against him was handed down.

Smiling and waving, Zaidi was escorted afterward from the dilapidated courthouse in the Green Zone, where a crowd of family members and supporters had gathered outside the courtroom doors. Shouting, his sister collapsed on the floor in tears, and police hustled two of his brothers out of the building after the verdict was announced.

"You're a hero, Muntadar!" some yelled. "Down with Bush!" others cried.

In a case that bordered on both the farcical and poignant, Zaidi became a folk hero in the Arab world after hurling both shoes, with a mean swing, at Bush during a news conference Dec. 14. Bush nimbly ducked, in what immediately became a lasting image of the war that began when his administration ordered an invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

"This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" Zaidi had shouted as he threw one shoe, then the other. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

In the days that followed, Zaidi's spectacle became a fixture of almost every conversation in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. Some were put off by the adulation for Zaidi, deeming the incident embarrassing for Iraq and journalists. Bush was a guest, after all, in a region that prides itself on its hospitality. More common, though, was the way the gesture articulated the deep-seated anger many Arabs feel toward American policies, support for Israel and the U.S. occupation here.

Restaurants were renamed, banners hung and graffiti scrawled across concrete barriers erected to stop attacks that still kill hundreds in Baghdad and elsewhere every month.

A man in Tikrit, ousted president Saddam Hussein's home town, erected a sculpture of the shoe that Iraq's parliament ordered removed, and a Saudi businessman was said to have volunteered $10 million for Zaidi's shoes. A Lebanese channel offered him a job and said that if he accepted, it would retroactively pay him from the day he hurled the shoes.

Zaidi had faced up to 15 years in prison, but his lawyers said the judges decided to show leniency because of his youth and lack of prior convictions.

Escorted by police to the defendant's seat, Zaidi wore the same brown leather shoes and beige suit as he did in the opening court session last month.

Then, he said Bush's "smile with no spirit" had provoked him to act.

"I felt the blood of innocent people flow under my feet as he smiled. I felt that he is the killer of my people, and I am one of those people," he said. "I became emotional because he's responsible for what is going on in Iraq, so I hit him with my shoe."

On Thursday, the judge asked if he had anything to add beyond that statement.

"I am innocent," Zaidi said simply. "What I did was a natural response to the occupation."

Prosecutors had said his confession warranted his conviction, but Zaidi and his family maintained that he had been beaten and suffered electrical shocks in detention. Zaidi's lawyers argued that he was only expressing himself, without criminal intent.

"It wasn't a rocket," said Dhia Saadi, the chief defense attorney, who said his client's team would appeal Thursday's decision. "It was a shoe."

For a case filled with such emotion, the arguments in court came down to minutiae. The court rejected the defense's assertion that the charges didn't apply since Bush's visit was unofficial -- he had arrived unannounced. It was not swayed by other arguments that no one was harmed and that the gesture was more insult than assault.

"His motivations were honorable," said Mohammed al-Abboudi, another attorney.

Like Zaidi's other lawyers, Abboudi called the charges "overly severe," and some supporters hoped that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki might eventually pardon him.

"The door is still open," said Aqeel al-Basri, a member of a bloc of parliament members loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, an anti-American Shiite cleric. "We hope the government will listen and release this young man, who has carried out the ambitions of Iraqis."

The tumult Thursday spilled out of the courthouse and into the streets, where Zaidi's family denounced Maliki and his U.S. allies. His mother, Um Zaman, sobbed as she walked from the courtroom to the entrance of the Green Zone.

"My son, Muntadar. Why did you do it? You've lost three years of your life."

His siblings were angrier, as the crowd and police shoved each other. "Maliki is ready to give his wife to Bush just to keep him happy," said Zaidi's sister, Um Saad.

"Shame on the Iraqi judiciary and its judge!" his brother Uday shouted.

Washington Post

The Lebanese army was out in force on the streets of Beirut Sunday as people turned out to pay their respects to Hariri, who is buried downtown in the Lebanese capital.

Four senior Lebanese generals are being held over the bombing, which also killed 22 other people. But many Lebanese -- as well as the United States and U.N. investigators -- believe Syria ordered the assassination. Syria denies it.

At the time of Hariri's death, neighboring Syria had immense political influence in the country, and had maintained troops in its smaller neighbor since the 1980s, after the fighting between Israel and the PLO in Lebanon.

Hariri was admired for spearheading the rebuilding of Beirut after the country's civil war, from 1975 to 1990, and many Lebanese blamed Syria for the killing, citing Hariri's patriotism and strong sense of Lebanese independence.

The killing sparked widespread protests that led to the eventual withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and the election of an anti-Syrian bloc in parliament.

The anti-Syrian movement is known as the March 14 Alliance, named after the day millions of supporters of Hariri took to the streets, and its actions have been dubbed the Cedar Revolution, for the nation's iconic cedar trees.

Huge counter-protests also were staged by Lebanese supporters of Syria.

Along the way, U.N. investigators tasked to probe the attack found links between Syria's government and Hariri's assassination.

The Lebanese hope the tribunal will settle the case, but there are also fears it could further divide the nation and open up older wounds in the country.

The special tribunal takes over from the Beirut-based International Independent Investigation Commission, which looked into 20 other attacks and found elements linking some of them to a criminal network behind the Hariri killing, the United Nations said.

Daniel Bellemare, a Canadian, will be the tribunal's prosecutor. The trial will take place in a converted gymnasium in a suburb of The Hague.

The United Nations says the case is expected to be ready for trial by 2010. The trial judges and appeals chambers will take on their responsibilities on a date determined by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the tribunal's president.

Speeches at the launching of the Tribunal

The following spoke during the ceremony marking the first day of operations of the Tribunal .

Special Tribunal Registrar Robert Vincent who announced the launching of Tribunal court

Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs Patricia O’Brien

Lebanon’s Ambassador to Holland Zaidan As-Saghir

Special Tribunal General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare

Vincent said : "We are here today for Lebanon, for the international tribunal. We are here for the victims of crimes not for the criminals."

O’Brien said: "The Lebanese people will be stay posted on the tribunals' proceedings. International attention to the Special Tribunal will increase and the immunity that some perpetrators are enjoying will not last for long."
"The tribunal's bureau is about to be completed. Four Lebanese judges and seven international judges will preside over the tribunal."
"The aim of the tribunal is to try the perpetrators of murder crimes."

Saghir said : "Today is the day the Lebanese have long waited for. Justice will take its course and what is taking place here today is a confirmation of justice. The Lebanese people have the right to feel safe. Lebanon will fully cooperate with the tribunal. Progress achieved by the investigating commission allowed the launching of the Special Tribunal ." He added : "Lebanon will try to put an end to the series of terrorism (attacks). The international tribunal has come to lift this heavyweight off Lebanon's shoulders."

Bellemare said : The crime has been committed by several persons. There people who know. A decision to release the four generals will be made by the tribunal. I do not expect there to be just one indictment. No one is immune.

Our work will be independent. We work according to evidence, law and our conscience. There are no factors influencing the tribunal.

I have not faced any difficulties neither do I expect to. But in case I do, we will take the necessary measures.
The fate of the four detained generals depends on Lebanese justice

The investigation will continue in compliance with international criteria. I will not press charges unless convinced with the evidence presented.

In an open letter to the Lebanese people, Bellemare vowed on the eve of the launching of the tribunal "to do everything that is humanly and legally possible to ensure that the truth emerges and that those responsible for the crimes that fall within our jurisdiction are eventually brought to justice.

Court prosecutor Daniel Bellemare of Canada looks on during an opening ceremony of an international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Leidschendam, Netherlands, Sunday March 1, 2009. Hariri and 22 others were killed in a Feb. 14, 2005, suicide bombing in Beirut

Court prosecutor Daniel Bellemare of Canada looks on during an opening ceremony of the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon

Daniel Bellemare, prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,

The judge did not explain his decision to release two Lebanese brothers on a bail of 500,000 Lebanese pounds ($330) each and a Syrian man on a bail of just 100,000 Lebanese pounds ($67). The three could still be prosecuted in the case, although no one has been charged in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on a seaside street in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005.

Investigating judge Saqr Saqr's decision, carried by the official news agency, said four other suspects in the bombing — all pro-Syrian Lebanese generals — would remain jailed, which could allow them to be turned over to the international court. At the time of the assassination, the generals headed the police, military intelligence, a General Security agency, and the Presidential Guard Brigade.

The late Hariri had close ties with Western leaders and was credited with helping rebuild Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war and trying to limit neighboring Syria's influence over Lebanon.

Following his assassination, Syria's army withdrew after mass protests, which also sparked political upheaval and violence.

The U.N. Security Council ordered an independent investigation into the assassination after its fact-finding mission found that the Lebanese investigation was flawed.

The Security Council set up the mixed Lebanese-international tribunal in the Netherlands at the Lebanese government's request after parliament split between the majority and the opposition and failed to ratify an agreement with the U.N. The case has been handed over to the tribunal.

The first U.N. investigator, German Detlev Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role. Hariri's supporters accuse Damascus of the bombing but Syria denies involvement.

Two of the men freed Wednesday — brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Abdel-Aal, are member of al-Ahbash a pro-Syrian Sunni Muslim fundamentalist group — were detained in 2005. A U.N. probe into the slaying said Mahmoud made "interesting" phone calls Feb. 14, including one to former President Emile Lahoud, just before a truck bomb killed Hariri, raising questions about the president.

But the office of Lahoud, a Hariri rival and Syria's staunchest ally, denied the president received the call.

Lahoud's extension of his term in September 2004 for three more years, under pressure from Syria, triggered a sharp disagreement between Damascus, then a dominant power in Lebanon, and Hariri, who opposed the measure then relented before resigning two months later.

Ahmed Abdel-Aal was named by the U.N. probe in 2005 as a "key figure" who had extensive contacts with top Lebanese security officials before and after the blast, and tried to hide information from investigators.

The third man freed, Syrian Ibrahim Jarjoura, was arrested in 2006 on suspicion he gave false evidence and misled the investigation.

As the news of the release of the Abdel-Aal brothers filtered down, several hundred supporters gathered outside offices of Ahmed's faction in a Muslim neighborhood of Beirut to await their arrival. Some beat drums, others handed out candy, set off firecrackers or fired off pistols into the air in celebration.

Top Photo: Women relatives of Lebanese brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Abdel-Aal, react, outside the headquarters of the pro-Syrian Al-Ahbash group, as they wait for the two to arrive in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009.

Adnan Traboulsi, an official of the pro-Syrian Muslim Sunni fundamentalist group al-Ahbash flashes a victory sign upon the arrival of newly released prisoners Mahmoud Abdel Aal and Ahmed Abdel Aal, at the group's headquarters in Beirut February 25, 2009.

Relatives and supporters throw confetti and surround a vehicle carrying newly released prisoners, Mahmoud Abdel Aal and Ahmed Abdel Aal, upon their arrival at the headquarters of the pro-Syrian Muslim Sunni fundamentalist group al-Ahbash in Beirut February 25, 2009.