In a speech on the eve of the Independence Day said President Michel Suleiman called for abolishing political sectarianism :

"To encourage vast participation in political life , a national committee should be established and charged with abolishing political sectarianism ." He said

Sunday
12:00 pm Israel's recent decision to build more homes in Gilo, which Israel says is part of Jerusalem, has ignited more anger among Palestinians who say it's a settlement on land captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed.

11;30 pm India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh becomes US President Barack Obama's first state guest during a three-day visit to Washington beginning November 23.

11;00 pm Though significant progress has been made in negotiations to free captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, a prisoner exchange deal has not yet been reached, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Sunday.

8;30 pm Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt and Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi on Sunday night at Hariri’s residence in downtown Beirut.
5:30 pm Qatar, the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas, expects the construction of a railway system will cost 17 billion euros ($25.3 billion) as the Arabian Gulf state seeks improved transport links with its neighbors.

5:00 pm Mohammad Ali Abtahi , a former Iranian vice president has been released on a $700,000 bail in the mass trial of opposition figures accused of fomenting the country's post-election unrest, official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. It did not say what his sentence was.

4: 40 pm The Internal Security Forces issued a statement on Sunday denying OTV’s Friday news report claiming an ISF agent was tortured during interrogation

4:00 pm OTV : MP Okab Sakr stated that although PM Hariri’s visit to Syria will be one of the most crucial visit abroad, adding that, “without Syria who has its allies in Lebanon, the cabinet would not been formed.”

3:50 England's Lee Westwood achieved a European Tour double on Sunday by winning the season-ending Dubai World Championship and the money-list title. He picked up $2.37 million for his triumph.

3;40 pm VOA: Indonesian transportation officials say at least 15 people were killed and more than 230 were rescued Sunday after a ferry sank in rough waters near Sumatra island.

3;25 pm Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned on Sunday that Turkey cannot resume its role of mediator in indirect talks with Syria."After all the verbal attacks and insults toward us expressed by the Turks, they cannot be considered as mediators between us and the Syrians," he told reporters.
3:00pm BBC : Iran has begun five days of war games to simulate attacks on its nuclear sites, state media report. The head of Iran's air defense said the aim was to thwart aerial reconnaissance of the sites as well as air attacks.

2:30pm Former presidents Amin Gemayel and Emile Lahoud , Hussein Husseini , Salim Hoss and Omar Karami were absent from the Independence day reception at Baabda palace

2:25 pm Hezbollah's Sheikh Qassem: we reject the abolition of the resistance . We are satisfied in advance with what the ministerial policy statement will say about the resistance

2:15pm VOL: Seven Israeli soldiers stepped out of their patrol vehicle at Fatmeh crossing, making provocative gestures toward Lebanese troops which led to friction. UNIFIL troops stepped in to defuse tension.

1;00 pm Hamas says armed groups agree to halt rockets

12:35 Iran insists it needs guarantees over nuclear fuel supply

11:00am Suleiman, Berri, Hariri receive delegations at Baabda Palace congratulating them on the occasion of Independence Day.

10:53 March 14 coordinator Soueid: We Insist that Hezbollah and Iranian arms be under the control of the state

10:30 Khamenei aide: Iran will strike Tel Aviv if attacked

10:15am Military parade on Beirut's Shafiq Wazzan Ave. ends.

9:10am Hawker Hunter jets perform low-level acrobatics at the start of the military parade.

9:01 President Michel Suleiman arrives at the festivities.

8:30am The government kicks off celebrations in Beirut to mark the occasion of Independence Day.

7:38 am Sfeir from Beirut airport before heading to the Vatican: I don’t oppose President Suleiman’s views on the resistance, but there is a difference between the weapons of the resistance and those of the army.

Saturday
8:00 pm President Michel Suleiman addressed the nation on Saturday night, the eve of Lebanese Independence Day: “in order to preserve a fair representation, it is necessary to eliminate political sectarianism.”

6:30 pm Four Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia died from swine flu, the Health Ministry said . They are a Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man an Indian man and a 17-year-old girl from Nigeria

6:30pm Arslan: We are in dire need of being united during these critical times

6:27pm Jumblatt: We stick to the previous Ministerial Policy Statement and there is no justification for changing it

6:24pm Expanded Jumblatt - Arsalan family gathering in Mukhtara , Shouf in the presence of a number of several ministers and MPs

Suleiman also proposed "changing the electoral law relating to general elections in order to obtain better representation and restore to expatriates their rights, including nationality and the right to vote."

Under the current sectarian system , the president is a Maronite Christian, the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim. In addition all the parliament members and key government position are based on religious affiliation.

Addressing the issue of state institutions Suleiman said: “We need to build state institutions according to a political platform based on openness and the preservation of civil rights.” He added : “State institutions is what safeguards independence and preserves freedoms.”

Suleiman called for other reforms, including “an independent judicial power and greater administrative decentralization to empower the municipalities.”

Suleiman addressed the issue of corruption and the mounting state debt:
“We seek to fight corruption… and to stop the waste and reduce the national debt,” he said

Suleiman called for developing stronger relations with neighboring Arab states :
“We want to see the development of relations between Lebanon, Syria and the Arab states, not only on the governmental level, but also on the civil level to reach the perfect social cooperation,” he said

Suleiman also stressed the right of Lebanese to regain their occupied territories :
“Lebanon needs to preserve its right to liberate the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba Hills, and the Lebanese part of Ghajar.” He said

The president stressed that Lebanon, through its recently acquired seat at the U.N. Security Council, will be able to seek peaceful and just solutions to the pending issues in the region, topped by the Palestinian cause and the "right of return" for the Palestinian refugees.

The president also called for the full implementation of the Taef Accord

In October 1989, the Lebanese National Assembly met in Taif, Saudi Arabia to ratify a "National Reconciliation Accord". The accord was designed to end the Lebanese civil war that had been raging for decades.

Paragraph 1 of the accord called for “disbanding of the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and the transfer of weapons in their possession to the Lebanese government within six months of the rectification of the document of national reconciliation the election of a president the establishment of a national accord government and the constitutional ratification of the political reforms.”

All the militia were disbanded and their weapons handed over to the government with the exception of Hezbollah and the Palestinians that were loyal to Syria. This is because Lebanon at the time was under the Syrian tutelage and Syria was able to get away with pretty much whatever it liked in Lebanon.

Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005 following the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri , but Syria continues to exert political influence in the country through Hezbollah and its allies

March 14 Christian ministers are insisting that the paragraph that deals with the resistance in the ministerial policy statement should include a statement that restricts the authority of declaration of war and peace to the state while the Hezbollah-led Shiite ministers are completely opposed to the idea .

In 2006 Hezbollah was criticized for initiating the war with Israel without consulting with the government. This is the reason behind March 14 Christian ministers’ action.

This is all related to the conflicting 2 states that exist in Lebanon ... The state of Lebanon vs the Hezbollah state

The dispute between Baroud and Rifi is an administrative matter that is being politicized . Rifi who is considered pro- March 14 has fired a pro -March 8 police officer , Antoine Chakkour, for disobeying orders without consulting with his boss , minister Baroud. This dispute is creating a 3 way split of the country …the opposition is supporting Chakkour, March 14 is supporting Rifi and the centrists are supporting Baroud.

All these disputes are taking place on the eve of the independence day. Sunday , November 22 Lebanon celebrates its 66th anniversary of its Independence .

Saturday
8:00 pm President Michel Suleiman addressed the nation on Saturday night, the eve of Lebanese Independence Day: “in order to preserve a fair representation, it is necessary to eliminate political sectarianism.”

6:30 pm Four Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia died from swine flu, the Health Ministry said . They are a Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man an Indian man and a 17-year-old girl from Nigeria

6:30pm Arslan: We are in dire need of being united during these critical times

6:27pm Jumblatt: We stick to the previous Ministerial Policy Statement and there is no justification for changing it

6:24pm Expanded Jumblatt - Arsalan family gathering in Mukhtara , Shouf in the presence of a number of several ministers and MPs

5:12pm Gemayel addressing his slain son to his son Pierre: You were always open-minded and a believer in the culture of dialogue. We want the government to be a real unity government headed by your brother Saad Hariri and we want it to lead Lebanon toward safety.
The party which you served till the last breath will remain the conscience of Lebanon and it is keen on all the martyrdoms.

5:07pm The Third Commemoration Mass of Pierre Gemayel has ended and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel has started his speech.

4:47pm Minister Safadi: Lebanon has entered a new phase of reconciliation and the government will be a government for all Lebanon

4:23pm The Egyptian Supreme Criminal Court has decided to postpone the trial of 26 Hezbollah cell members to January 26 because one of the accused was not present

4:18pm Bishop Beshara al-Rahi in his sermon at the mass commemorating Pierre Gemayel: Pierre was the rock of love on which nations are built upon.

3:50 pm A gas explosion killed 42 miners in a Chinese mine on Saturday and 66 remain trapped hundreds of metres (yards) underground after the latest accident to hit the world's deadliest mining industry

3:40pm PM Saad Hariri has arrived to Mar Antonios Church to attend the Third Commemoration Mass of Pierre Gemayel.

3:15pm Political leaders have started to arrive to Mar Antonios Church in Jdeideh to participate in the mass commemorating the assassinated late Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.

2:00pm President Michel Suleiman received cables on the occasion of independence day from Pope Benedict XVI and other world leaders.

1:55pm The Lebanese army command said the military opened anti-aircraft fire on an Israeli drone flying over Bint Jbeil on Saturday morning.

1:40 pm MP Mohammad Qabbani issued a statement on the occasion of Independence Day, calling for Parliament to form a national body to eliminate political sectarianism. He also urged Speaker Nabih Berri to pursue the implementation of the Taif Accord.

1:20pm Jumblatt called Baroud and stressed on the importance of respecting ranks inside Lebanese state institutions.

1:14pm MP Hani Qobaisi: Lebanon can only live through partnership and unity.

12:42pm MP Ammar Houry told al-Jadeed: We are in the stage of reshaping constitutional institutions.

11:42 MP Alain Aoun told Radio Free Lebanon: There is Lebanese consensus to take the issue of resistance arms to the dialogue table.

11:30 Minister Hussein Mneimneh: Dialogue is the foundation to resolve all differences. Reconciliations are one of the national unity government’s priorities.

11:28 MP Ahmad Fatfat said that politicizing the conflict between Ziad Baroud and ISF
Director General Ashraf Rifi over discharging Police Brigadier Antoine Chakkour for disobeying orders is unbeneficial

10:30 MP Elie Marouni told Future News: If the issue of Hezbollah’s arms will be discussed on the national dialogue table, then it should not be mentioned in the policy statement.

10:00 Minister Michel Pharaon told LBC: Discussions on the arms issue are focusing on the right of the state to decide on war and peace. The ministerial statement will see light in the next few days and will be similar to its predecessor.

9:59 Al-Sayegh: The policy statement should have a reference to a strong state.

8:00am President Michel Suleiman will address the Lebanese on the eve of independence day through direct dialogue with representatives of the press syndicate and journalists accredited to Baabda palace.

Friday

11:59 pm Mohamed ElBaradei, the departing chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, said Iran's continued refusal to accept tighter scrutiny of its nuclear activities would likely force the international community to impose new sanctions.

10:30 pm As hope fades for an Iran nuclear deal before the end of the year, UN Security Council%

Lebanon’s independence day , but Information Minister Tarek Mitri said after visiting from Bkirki this afternoon : “It is difficult to draft the policy statement before independence day. However, there is willingness to reach an agreement.”

Friday

11:59 pm Mohamed ElBaradei, the departing chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, said Iran's continued refusal to accept tighter scrutiny of its nuclear activities would likely force the international community to impose new sanctions.

10:30 pm As hope fades for an Iran nuclear deal before the end of the year, UN Security Council members discussed possible sanctions at a meeting in Brussels.

10:10 pm Al-Manar television Judicial Police Commander General Anwar Yehya said that evidence in the death of a mother, Grace Jalkh, and her three daughters in Bhersaf-Metn on Wednesday night points points to to a suicide. According to Yehya, the mother willingly poisoned a fruit salad, which she fed to her children and proceeded to consume herself.

9:00 pm Reuters: Herman Van Rompuy's appointment as the first European Union president provoked fears in Turkey that he might hinder Ankara's hopes of joining the bloc, with some media declaring outright that he is anti-Turkish.

8:30 pm A UN panel on Friday blasted Iran for "serious, ongoing and recurring" human rights violations, including violence against protesters after the disputed June presidential elections.

8:10 pm OTV : The opposition minsters discussed today the dispute between rifi and Shakour and declared their support for Shakour

8:09 pm OTV: The general direction of the ministerial committee is to leave the issue of Lebanese Syrian relations to the dialogue

8:01 pm Future TV: the economic discussions of the ministerial committee covered Paris III, privatization , electricity and development of the rural areas

8:00pm Christians of March 14 want the ministerial policy statement to state that the decision of war and peace should only be in" the hand of the state"

7:37pm Mitri following the end of the ministerial committee meeting: No clashes inside the committee and all are interested in an agreement

6:50 The ministerial committee charged with drafting the ministerial statement ended its meeting . It will meet again on Monday

6:30 pm ( March 14) Lebanese forces and Kataeb supporters winners in the NDU student elections

5:58pm Bureau of Combating International Thefts handed over 24 retrieved cars to owners.

5:40 pm Turkey on Friday scrapped a 2008 bid won by a Russian-led consortium to build and operate the country's first nuclear power plant.

5:35pm In response to an invitation by March 14 forces general-secretariat, March 14 student organizations leaders will hold a press conference on Saturday, November 21.

5:12 pm former president Amin Gemayel said that the plan of Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt to withdraw from March 14 forces preceded the incidents of May 7, adding that Jumblatt's dialogue with Hezbollah 'established security, stability, and reconciliation.'. Gemayel stressed that Lebanon is suffering from "the impossibility of coexistence between two states and two armies on one land", adding that it was necessary to reach agreements with Hezbollah in the future.

4:15pm The committee tasked with drafting the ministerial policy statement has started its sixth session at the Grand Serail.

3:05pm Prime Minister Saad Hariri told ASCAME general assembly : “Lebanon is looking forward to having Europe as a political, economic and cultural partner.”

2:21pm Hariri issued an order calling for closure of public institutions on Monday on the occasion of independence day.

2:20pm Mitri from Bkirki: It is difficult to draft the policy statement before independence day. However, there is willingness to reach an agreement.

2:17pm Williams from Center House: We hope the new cabinet would implement resolution 1701.

2:15pm Syrian President Bashar Assad and U.S. President Barack Obama sent cables to their Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman on the occasion of independence day.

12:55pm Hariri met with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams.

12:13pm Information Minister Tareq Mitri is meeting with Patriarch Sfeir in Bkirki.

12:04pm Minister Wael Abou Faour told LBC: There is disagreement not only on the resistance’s arms issue. The solution is to adopt the previous policy statement.

12:00pm A delegation from the March 14 secretariat-general visited Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

11:23 Speaker Nabih Berri sent letters of good wish to Arab and Islamic leaders on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

11:04 Hariri: Lebanon welcomes the new initiative for the Mediterranean Union and it will be a real partner and make efforts for the success of the initiative.

10:15 PM Saad Hariri will make a speech at the opening of the ASCAME general assembly at al-Kassar building in Jnah.

8:19 Youth and Sports Minister Ali Abdullah told VOL: There is disagreement over the ministerial statement’s political chapter. The resistance and its arms should be preserved to defend Lebanon against Israel.

Thursday

11:19pm Minister Elias Murr: Hariri will be confronted by many challenges ...political, security, economic and social but we are confident he can do it

11:00 pm Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy was appointed as the president of the European Council and Britain's Cathy Ashton, was appointed as Europe's foreign minister

10:27pm Minister Sayyed Hussein told LBC: finalization of the ministerial policy statement by this government will be much easier than the previous one and I expect the previous clause on resisitance arms will be used this time too in the statement

10:22 pm Minister Ofaish told LBC: In this government we will be working together as one team and we will be positive . The atmosphere is positive with regards to the ministerial policy statement

9:50pm Investigation by an official government physician of the 4 bodies has revealed that the mother and her children have eaten 4 plates of processed fruit that were mixed with poison and this is why they died

8:15pm The bodies of Grace Jalakh and her three daughters were found inside a house near Deir Mar Youssef in Harsaf and security sources are saying that poison may be the cause of their death without revealing the source of the poison

"We want the policy statement to become a real preamble for achievements that the Lebanese are awaiting for ... to improve their living conditions and provide them with better living standards," Hariri said

"We want a unity cabinet not only in the political sense but economic" sense as well, Hariri added

Lets hope other politicians will follow suit and start thinking of the Lebanese people who have been sick and tired of waiting to see a government that will start addressing the issues of concern for the people

Thursday

11:19pm Minister Elias Murr: Hariri will be confronted by many challenges ...political, security, economic and social but we are confident he can do it

11:00 pm Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy was appointed as the president of the European Council and Britain's Cathy Ashton, was appointed as Europe's foreign minister

10:27pm Minister Sayyed Hussein told LBC: finalization of the ministerial policy statement by this government will be much easier than the previous one and I expect the previous clause on resisitance arms will be used this time too in the statement

10:22 pm Minister Ofaish told LBC: In this government we will be working together as one team and we will be positive . The atmosphere is positive with regards to the ministerial policy statement

9:50pm Investigation by an official government physician of the 4 bodies has revealed that the mother and her children have eaten 4 plates of processed fruit that were mixed with poison and this is why they died

8:15pm The bodies of Grace Jalakh and her three daughters were found inside a house near Deir Mar Youssef in Harsaf and security sources are saying that poison may be the cause of their death without revealing the source of the poison

8:30 pm President Barack Obama has signalled a further escalation in the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions by serving notice that punitive measures could be agreed "within weeks".

8:00pm Phalange sources to Future News: Phalange party through its representative in the Ministerial Statement Committee will show reservations regarding the resistance arms article and will ask to be discussed during the dialogue committee.

7:05pm Minister Baroud called for total halt to the debate inside ISF between its Commander Maj. Gen. Rifi and Police Chief Brig. Gen. Shakkour regardless of its reasons that will be under radical treatment once the government gains vote of confidence.

6:35pm The committee charged with drafting the Ministerial Statement started it’s fifth session which is being headed by PM Saad Hariri.

5:35 pm Egypt recalled its ambassador to Algeria in response to attacks against Egyptian football fans in Sudan and Egyptian businesses in Algeria, the official MENA news agency reported.

5:00 pm World powers will meet to discuss Iran's nuclear program after the Islamic Republic said it would not export its uranium for further enrichment.

4:50 pm Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been sworn in for a second term after months of political uncertainty in the wake of a fraud-marred presidential election. He vowed to Tackle Corruption in Second Term

04:42 pm CNA: Next Wednesday was the date set for the reconciliation meeting between Aoun and Jumblatt at the Baabda palace

4:30pm Former Prime Minister MP Fouad Saniora held separate meetings with LF leader Samir Geagea and a delegation from March 14 general-secretariat.

4:15pm VOL: PM Hariri insists on finishing the political part of the ministerial policy statement in today's meeting which may take some extra time.

3:50 pm Hezbollah issued a statement in which it announced the names of the members elected to the Hezbollah Shura Council. They include : Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem as Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Mohammad Yazbeck as President of the legitimacy commission, Ibrahim Amin as chairman of the political council, Hashem Safieddine as chairman of the executive council, Hussein Khalil as the secretary general’s political aide, MP Mohammad Raad as leader of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc. Nasrallah will announce in après conference a new political document

3:47 pm Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawwan on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against Fatah al-Islam member Fadi Ghassan Ibrahim, known as Sigmo, for his involvement with bomb attacks and the formation of terrorist cells.

3:45 pm Hariri met with Baroud to discuss internal security and also met the Syrian ambassador

3:35 pm President Suleiman will deliver a speech Saturday at 8 pm on the eve of Lebanese independence day

3:20 pm Public schools will be closed staring Friday Nov 26 and until Monday Nov 30 in observation of the Eid el Adha holiday

2:20pm Dahieh police station arrested a car thief.

2:17pm President Michel Suleiman met with Syrian ambassador Abdel Karim Ali and discussed with him bilateral ties, ongoing contacts over several issues and the latest Lebanese-Syrian summit in Damascus. Suleiman also met Minister Murr and Mps Hamadeh , Saad, Terro and Marouni

1:27pm A team of Russian military experts inspected the Qleiat airbase.

1:15pm PM Hariri met with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano at the Grand Serail.

1:06pm Belgian ambassador after meeting Phalange leader Amin Gemayel: I informed Gemayel about my country’s support for the new cabinet and hoped it would achieve its goals.

11:20am MP Walid Jumblatt met at his residence in Clemenceau with a delegation from the Tashnag party headed by its Secretary-General Hovig Mekhitarian and MP Hagop Pakradounian.

11:12 The Democratic Left Movement said the formation of the cabinet put obstacles to attempts to bring the country to a standstill. Arms and the defense strategy are the only issue on the agenda of the dialogue table.

10:45 Hariri at the Annual Arab Banking Conference: We want the policy statement to become a preamble for achievements that the Lebanese are awaiting for to improve their living conditions and provide them with better living standards.

9:00 PM Saad Hariri will deliver a speech during the opening of the Annual Arab Banking Conference at the Phoenicia hotel in Beirut.

8:30 Minister of the Displaced Akram Shehayeb told VOL: Discussions inside the ministerial committee will end with a consensus cabinet policy statement which will leave contentious issues to the national dialogue table.

7:30am Former Minister Mario Aoun told VOL: Aoun would visit Bkirki when there is a need for such a visit. The meeting between Jumblatt and Aoun is gathering pace.

Wednesday

11:30 pm New TV: General Kahwaji has revealed from Dubai that the Lebanese security authorities have been able to discover the names of the killers of Walid Eido and Francoise Hajj

10:55 pm Minister Ghazi Aridi told OTV: It is in our national to benefit from past mistakes and try to take advantage of the current positive atmosphere. We have an interest in developing special relations with Syria in line with the Taef accord

11;00 pm US Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 presidential campaign in the face of sharp criticism from his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

10:00pm Mitri: The Ministerial Statement Committee made progress

9:20 pm Algeria beats Egypt 1;0 and qualifies for 2010 World Cup

8:37pm Ministerial Statement Committee meeting ends, Fneish says political issues not resolved yet

Prior to the meeting Jumblatt told An-Nahar newspaper that the reunion is part of his bid to "drop the old barriers and move forward with efforts to achieve national reconciliation … and forge a relationship of trust and understanding with the various parties."

Jumblatt did not make any statement before leaving Baabda palace today

Wednesday

11:30 pm New TV: General Kahwaji has revealed from Dubai that the Lebanese security authorities have been able to discover the names of the killers of Walid Eido and Francoise Hajj

10:55 pm Minister Ghazi Aridi told OTV: It is in our national to benefit from past mistakes and try to take advantage of the current positive atmosphere. We have an interest in developing special relations with Syria in line with the Taef accord

11;00 pm US Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 presidential campaign in the face of sharp criticism from his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

10:00pm Mitri: The Ministerial Statement Committee made progress

9:20 pm Algeria beats Egypt 1;0 and qualifies for 2010 World Cup

8:37pm Ministerial Statement Committee meeting ends, Fneish says political issues not resolved yet

8:00pm President Obama on Wednesday called it "dangerous" that Israel plans to add 900 new apartments to an existing Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem -- an area Palestinians hope to claim as their capital absent a peace agreement with Israel.

7:49pm Jumblatt praises Suleiman for sponsoring reconciliation meeting with Franjieh

5:49 pm Abu Faour: the Ministerial Statement is “almost” done

5:44 pm Ministerial Statement Committee begins its meeting at the Grand Serail

5:12pm Qabbani announces Friday, November 27 as the first day of Eid Al-Adha

5:11 pm BBC: The problem of corruption in Afghanistan was highlighted recently when an international survey placed the country as the second most corrupt in the world.

5:10pm FPM leader MP Michel Aoun after the weekly meeting of Change and Reform bloc: FPM is suffering from rapid growth, during growth there exist some groups who are not used to democracy and there's no doubt that we have individuals who are opposing and maybe we have to dismiss those who do not abide.

4:45pm UNIFIL deputy spokesman Andrea Tenenti announced that a UNIFIL demining unit soldier was seriously wounded by an accidental detonation of a landmine as he was demining in a field south of Rmeish village.

4:10 pm PM Saad Hariri : "Deliberations of the Ministerial Statement Committee on Tuesday were very positive,” . He stressed that he is keen on reaching an agreement between all the parties over the Statement.

4:00pm A handover ceremony between new and outgoing Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Michel Pharaon and Wael Abou Faour was held at the ministry.

3:02 pm LBC from Baabda: The meeting between Jumblatt and Franjieh was excellent , the ambiance was positive and both agreed not to make any statements following their meeting

2:58 pm President Obama says US will miss January 2010 date to close Guantanamo Bay

2:30pm Jumblatt left Baabda palace without making any statement.

2:00pm March 14 General Secretariat after its weekly meeting stressed that the “defense strategy” should remain the only topic for discussion at the dialogue table.

1:15pm Head of the Administration and Justice Committee Robert Ghanem set Monday a new meeting date after lawmakers drew up a consensus-based working methodology.

1:00pm Jumblatt and Franjieh arrived at Baabda palace for their reconciliation meeting under Suleiman.

12:18pm Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh met with Egyptian ambassador Ahmed al-Bidyawi in Rabiyeh. The two men discussed Egyptian-Lebanese ties and current situation in Lebanon.

12:16pm Berri from Baabda palace: Baabda is where all Lebanese meet. Things are going fine on the ministerial issue.

12:15pm PM Saad Hariri received a phone call from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who congratulated the premier on the formation of the cabinet.

10:50 President Michel Suleiman is meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri at Baabda palace.

9:15 VOL: A grenade exploded underneath a vehicle in the eastern town of Majdal Anjar. A military expert went to the scene to investigate the blast.

8:20 MP Ahmed Fatfat told VOL: It is difficult to set a deadline for drafting the policy statement. The issue of Hezbollah’s arms will be discussed on the dialogue table.

Tuesday

9:49 pm French FM Bernard Kouchner says president Abbas is “indispensable” for peace process

9:37pm US: Jerusalem homes plan makes new peace talks difficult

9:26 pm US “objects” to Jerusalem settlement work. Israel approved earlier today 900 new housing units in east Jerusalem

9:13 pm March 14 wins AUB student elections in the Faculties of Engineering, Business, Agriculture, and Arts Sciences

of the statement before moving on to the economic aspect.

According to Al-Liwaa newspaper clauses 5 and 6 of the statement are still the subject of dispute between the Opposition and Christian leaders within the March 14 alliance.

The opposition is insisting that the same approach used in the previous policy statement should apply in this case, while March 14 Christians voiced no objection to that on condition that the phrase "the government makes decisions about war and peace" is added to clause 5, Al-Liwaa sources said.

Al-Liwaa sources said the Opposition represented by Hezbollah State Minister Mohammad Fneish refused to add this paragraph. This means that Hezbollah is reserving the right to declare war and peace , which is of course totally unacceptable to the majority since this undermines the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon

Al-Liwaa sources also said Clause 6 which is related to Lebanon's obligations toward international resolutions remains unresolved because the opposition wants the term "respect" U.N. resolutions while the majority wants the word "commitment "

On the economic situation the majority is insisting on privatization while the Hezbollah-led opposition is opposed to the idea. Former Minister Jihad Azour told VOL this morning : “Privatization is aimed at strengthening the economy by developing vital sectors, reducing public debt and providing better services to all citizens in the telecom sector.”

Tuesday

9:49 pm French FM Bernard Kouchner says president Abbas is “indispensable” for peace process

9:37pm US: Jerusalem homes plan makes new peace talks difficult

9:26 pm US “objects” to Jerusalem settlement work. Israel approved earlier today 900 new housing units in east Jerusalem

9:13 pm March 14 wins AUB student elections in the Faculties of Engineering, Business, Agriculture, and Arts Sciences

8:17 pm Information minister Mitri: Ministerial Statement committee’s Tuesday meeting “fruitful”

7:54 pm Saudi Arabia announces that Friday, November 27 is the first day of Eid al-Adha

6:30pm President Suleiman met with Interior Minister Ziad Baroud over the security situation in the country and the stages completed by the committee tasked with drafting the ministerial policy statement.

6:30 pm MP Sami Gemayel: The continued sacrifices by the Kataeb party led others to believe they can sacrifice the Kataeb party again

6:18 pm: Issam Farris center started the conference on Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and the emphasis is going to be "rejection of naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon"

5:39 pm Hariri presides over Ministerial Statement drafting committee meeting at Grand Serail

5;30 pm Summit on world food security in Rome: "Today, more than 1 billion people are hungry," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said... Six million children die of hunger every year -- 17,000 every day, he said.

5:20 pm BBC Four Israeli soldiers have been disciplined for protesting against the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

5:15 pm French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Riyadh to meet with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz. The discussions are expected to be dominated by peace in the Middle East

5:09 pm CNA : MPs Jumblatt and Franjieh will meet tomorrow at Baabda palace in the presence of the president who will also host them for lunch

4:00pm Yvonne Abdul Baqi, Head of the Andean Parliament, an Ecuadorian of Lebanese origin, arrived in Beirut to participate in "Lebanon 2020"conference that starts tomorrow.

3:00 pm Lebanon Files : Walid Ashkar a Lebanese citizen and a supporter of General Michel Aoun's FPM was arrested in Damascus during a private visit to Syria . No reasons given until now for the arrest

4:25pm VOL: Lebanese army restores calm in Baalbek after gunfire exchange

2:40pm MP Marwan Hamade was elected as head of Environment Parliamentary Committee, and MP Asem Qanso was elected as its rapporteur.

2:32pm Judge Saqr Saqr charged 10 Fatah al-Islam members, including a man known as Sikamo, with forming an armed gang.

1:20pm VOL: Clashes with machine guns and RPGs broke out between Jaafar and Wehbe clans in Baalbek’s Sharawneh neighborhood.

12:57pm PM Saad Hariri met with the Jordanian and Sudanese ambassadors and discussed with the Palestinian charge d’affaires Nahr al-Bared’s reconstruction.

12:20 Former PM Fouad Siniora presides over Future bloc meeting in Qoreitem

12:10pm Kuwait’s ambassador visited the Higher Judicial Council and toured the Beirut Justice Palace: I will inform the Kuwaiti leadership about what I saw today and we will discuss what kind of aid we could provide.

11;12 LBC: MP Robert Ghanem denied reports of a “political decision” to postpone the municipal elections, which are scheduled to take place in May 2010.

10:50 Four Palestinians were wounded in a shootout in the Rashidiyeh refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

8:23 Minister Youssef Saadeh told VOL: There is a positive atmosphere in relations between Jumblatt and Franjieh. There are no major differences over the policy statement.

8:20 Former Minister Jihad Azour told VOL: Privatization is aimed at strengthening the economy by developing vital sectors, reducing public debt and providing better services to all citizens in the telecom sector.

8:17 Minister Hassan Mneimneh told VOL: No major obstacles are hindering the formulation of the policy statement. Discussing the issue of arms on the national dialogue table would ease pressure on the ministerial statement.

Monday
9;00pm The United States voiced its opposition on Monday to unilateral Palestinian moves to seek recognition for an independent state, saying negotiations with Israel are the best way forward.

8:16pm MP Fatfat told MTV: the response to the draft of the ministerial policy statement has been positive and if Hariri asks me to accompany him on his trip to Syria I will do so

7:20 pm NYT: International inspectors who gained access to Iran’s newly revealed underground nuclear enrichment plant raised questions in a report released on Monday about whether the country may have also concealed other nuclear factories.

7:10 pm Reuters: Israel warned the Palestinians on Monday that declaring a state without concluding a peace agreement would lead to Israeli counter-measures that could include annexation of more of the occupied West Bank.

7:05pm PM Saad Hariri is meeting with a delegation from March 14 forces general-secretariat.

6:07pm President Suleiman met with Head of the Higher Judiciary Council Ghaleb Ghanem and they discussed the work of the council and judicial authority in general.

4:16 pm Israeli Opposition leader and Kadima chair Tzipi Livni called for a renewal of substantial peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, stressing that the lack of such negotiations is contrary to Israel's good.

4:15pm Musbah al Ahdab: Hezbollah is arming some factions in Tripoli and the problem is the lack of political direction to the military institutions on how deal with the problems of the city

4:05pm Hariri met with Internal security chief General Rifi to discuss the security situation in the country

4:01pm MTV: Unconfirmed information point to keeping the same paragraph used in the last ministerial policy statement with regards to Hezbollah arms

3:44 pm Pakradonian : The ministerial policy statement discussions will not take a long time and all sticking issues will be left for dialogue talks

3:30pm Hariri after meeting with the ministerial committee: Things are going in the right direction and you will notice a change in the way we will deal with all issues

4 members were elected at the Lebanese Bar Association, 2 of which (Amal Haddad and George Baroud) are from the minority and 2 ( Toufic Noueiri and George Jriej ) from the majority. 65 % of the members participated in the election

Information Minister Tarek Mitri circulated today a draft of the ministerial statement to the committee members in charge of finalizing the statement.

The issue surrounding Hezbollah arms is the main point of disagreement between the majority and the minority. Obviously Hezbollah wants to keep its arms while the majority wants these arms to be in the hands of the state

Hezbollah’s Sheikh Nabil Qaouq accused the U.S. of intervention in the ministerial policy statement and insisted that the statement should confirm Lebanon’s right to resistance

The problem is that these arms are no longer considered resistance arms because they were used against the Lebanese people. The May 2008 occupation of the West Beirut by Hezbollah and the failed attempt to occupy Mount Lebanon are a solid proof that these arms have been used against the Lebanese people .Hezbollah also used these arms to occupy downtown Beirut to bring down the government in the period between November 2006 and May 2008

According to analysts if it was not for these arms Hezbollah would not have been able to dictate its own terms to Prime Minister Saad Hariri during the government formation process

Sunday
11;00 pm Palestinian officials said Sunday they are considering a unilateral appeal for United Nations Security Council recognition of a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

10;pm United Nations: Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon observed a 24-hour fast in solidarity with a billion hungry people worldwide, his spokesperson Marie Okabe has said.

9:20 pm NYT: Rudolph W. Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said on Sunday that the Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the attacks, in a civilian court in Manhattan would unnecessarily cost millions of dollars for security, create legal advantages for the defense and symbolically deny that the United States is at war with terrorism.

9:00 pm US President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev say they still plan to have a replacement nuclear arms reduction treaty ready by the end of the year.

8:15pm Minister Sayegh told Future TV : I will participate tomorrow in the meeting of the committee charged with drafting the ministerial policy statement , after meeting with PM Hariri

7:40 pm Al-Manar: Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said on Sunday that the Hezbollah arms issue should be discussed in the National Dialogue and that it cannot be resolved in the Ministerial Statement, stressing the importance of keeping dialogue on the issue open.

7;17 pm Al-Manar: Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said the Ministerial Statement will be based on the Hezbollah-Free Patriotic Movement Memorandum of Understanding, the presidential oath and the 2008 Ministerial Statement.

5:30 pm After Iran rejected a proposal by the West to send its enriched uranium abroad in exchange for reactor fuel, the presidents of the US and Russia form a united front to warn the Tehran government over its response.

5:25 pm VOL: The ministerial policy statement will focus on the economy and may not get into the issue of Hezbollah arms since this will be dealt with during the dialogue talks

5:05 Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel calls Amal Haddad to congratulate her on being named
president of the Beirut Bar Association after the withdrawal of Kataeb candidate George Jriej and told her she can count on his support

4:35 pm AP: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she has no problem with Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try in New York City five alleged terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attack

4:30 pm Barack Obama, the US president, has told Myanmar's military government to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's jailed pro-democracy leader

4;20 pm Reuters: US steps to renew sanctions and seize a New York skyscraper linked to Iran show that President Barack Obama is no better than his predecessor George W. Bush, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday.

4:15pm Amal Haddad was named president of the Beirut Bar Association after the withdrawal of George Jriej.

3:15pm Minority-backed candidates Amal Haddad and George Baroud and majority-backed candidates Toufic Noueiri and George Jriej won the Bar Association elections.

2:35pm Future News: March 14 alliance wins Dental Association elections 5-0 and Dr. Ghassan Yared was elected president of the association

1:35pm MP Sami Gemayel from Kfar Zibian: I urge Gen. Michel Aoun not to deny his past or the resistance, which he was a pioneer in. I also call on him to cooperate with other Christian parties.

1:00pm The first round of voting to elect members of the Bar Council and the Pension Fund ended with an agreement to postpone for 30 minutes the election of a Bar chief.

11:59 French President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered to host a Middle East peace conference in Paris in talks with Israeli, Syrian and Palestinian leaders last week.

11:56 Sheikh Nabil Qaouq: U.S. intervention in the policy statement is an attack on the Lebanese. Ministerial Statement to confirm Lebanon’s right to resistance
11:27 Ad-Diyar: president Suleiman informs Secretary General of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Nasri Khoury that border demarcation will be hot topic in upcoming period

11:21 Syrian Newspaper Al-Watan reported on Sunday that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun would visit Syria soon, adding that such a trip could take place before Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s visit to Damascus.

11:03 Feltman: Support for Lebanon will not be at Syria’s expense

10:42 MP Farid al-Khazen to Future News denied that FPM leader Michel Aoun plans to make a visit Syria.

10:15 Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir presided over Sunday mass in Bkirki and politics was absent from his sermon.

10:15 Dental Association elections to elect president and 14 members begin at BIEL

10:00 MP Samer Saadeh to Voice of Free Lebanon: The Phalange Party is still committed to the principles of March 14 and is in constant coordination with the majority forces, but has reservations about the administrative work of the alliance.

9:21 Former PM Salim Hoss: Yemen crisis requires active intervention at the highest levels.

8:17 VOL: A police patrol seized two pistols among other items stolen from the Tripoli office of member of Lebanon First bloc MP Khodr Habib.

08:07 Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat : Minister Sayyed Hussein said that it is “possible” for Lebanese parties to reach an agreement through dialogue to integrate Hezbollah’s arms within the state’s authority, adding that such a step is the main objective of the national defense strategy.

8:00 Beirut lawyers will elect a new bar chief and 4 members amid fierce competition between the majority and the Opposition.

07:28 Minsiter Sayegh: Kataeb supports securing stability in South Lebanon based on 1701

07:24 An-Nahar: Minister Mitri submits a draft of the Ministerial Statement to committee members

Saturday

9:30 pm Egypt snatched a last-gasp goal to secure a 2-0 victory over Algeria on Saturday and force a play-off against their opponents%

who has been leading this trend has called for taking Lebanon "out of the March 8 and 14 trenches."

"We formed a unity cabinet and with this government we should take Lebanon out of the March 8 and 14 trenches," Jumblatt said Friday night asking Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's to help in this mission

Jumblatt’s change in stance was prompted by the May 2008 uprising by Hezbollah , when the militant group used its so called “resistance arms” to occupy the Sunni part of Beirut and tried unsuccessfully to occupy the Druze stronghold of Mount Lebanon.

The der Spiegel report of last May reinforced Jumblatt’s new stance. The German magazine revealed that it was Hezbollah and not Syria that was behind the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. Jumblatt is concerned that if the International Tribunal proves that Hezbollah killed Hariri, then this could start a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites.

“There is no doubt that I was shocked by May 7, the sectarian tensions, and hatred among the ‘one people’ in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. My concern was to halt the sliding toward civil war. There is no fear of a war erupting among the Christians, but fear exists regarding the "Muslims , Shiites and Sunnis ", Jumblatt told al Manar yesterday
\
The der Spiegel report also made Jumblatt feel guilty about his accusations against the Syrian regime. Jumblatt pointed fingers at Syria for all the assassinations that took place since 2004

Jumblatt, reiterated during the interview that he was still part of the majority but would have his own stance on certain issues in the new cabinet.

Similarly the Phalange Party politburo member Sejaan Qazzi stressed that currently Phalange is an independent parliamentary bloc that votes according to its convictions and does not abide by the decisions of the parliamentary majority or minority.

The change in Phalange party stance was prompted by the allocation of the ministry of social affairs to their party instead of the ministry of education which they lobbied hard for.

Jumblatt confirmed his interest in visiting Syria : "I will announce from here (al-Manar) my visit following Premier Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus and when there is readiness in Damascus to welcome me."

Jumblatt, in his new stance is counting on speaker Nabih Berri . He thinks Berri has had enough from being dominated by Hezbollah and may be ready for taking a centrist position. He is also counting on president Suleiman. But neither Berri nor Suleiman have any political base that could be counted on should an election take place anytime soon.

Both Jumblatt and the Phalange should realize that this shift in their position will weaken the March 14 majority if not accompanied by a similar shift within the March 8 alliance .

Jumblatt in particular should also realize that Hezbollah could not have assassinated Hariri without Syria’s help and therefore should stop feeling guilty about Syria…. after all …they killed his father and never denied it !

Saturday

9:30 pm Egypt snatched a last-gasp goal to secure a 2-0 victory over Algeria on Saturday and force a play-off against their opponents to decide the final African place in the 2010 World Cup finals.

8:17pm Minister Abu Faour: The only solution is to adopt the last ministerial statement as far as the resisitance arms are concerned but Lebanon should declare its adherence to international resolutions

8:15 pm Minister Aridi visited Franjiyeh: He had a constructive role in the government formation

8:15pm MTV : March 14 will insist on a including a specific paragraph on the resistance arms in the ministerial statement

7:50pm al Manar : Gemayel sent Sejaan qazzi to Syria , but the Kataeb party sources are denying this

5:30pm The Lebanese army intelligence handed over to Examining Military Magistrate Sakr Sakr the detainee Fadi Ghassan Ibrahim (Sikamo) and 8 Fatah al-Islam detainees, all charged with belonging to an armed group aiming to conduct terrorist acts.

3:47 pm Nasri Khoury : Hariri will be welcomed in Syria and his visit is being arranged

1 :57 pm President Suleiman voices hope for finalizing Ministerial Statement by Independence Day

1:50pm French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has expressed his country’s readiness to follow up on the disappearance case of Shiite cleric Imam Moussa Sadr

12:29 New TV : Wiam Wahhab advised Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to use MP Suleiman Franjieh to mediate his visit to Syria

11:25 MP Ammar Houri told Future TV that President Michel Suleiman’s visit to Damascus on Thursday was “at the right time,” stressing that the best framework for a relationship with Syria is at the state level. He added that Prime Minister Saad Hariri will visit Arab states, including Syria, after the newly formed government gets the parliamentary vote of confidence.

11:17 President Michel Suleiman arrived in the town of al-Yamouneh in Baalbeck to lay the cornerstone for al-Yamouneh dam. He said that he is hopeful that this could lead the implementation of projects in the Hermel area

10:58 FPM MP Walid Khouri told Future TV that there is no problem with the Ministerial Statement because, he says, there is an “agreement” that the Hezbollah weapons issue be left to discussion in the National Dialogue.

10:49 Social Affairs Minister Selim Sayegh told Free Lebanon radio station on Saturday that although the “opposition” is insinuating there is no problem with drafting the Ministerial Statement, the Kataeb party will not legitimize Hezbollah’s weapons. He called instead for coming up with a defense strategy in the National Dialogue in order to confront the danger threatening the country and its sovereignty.

10:31 Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and MP Talal Arslan discussed latest developments in the country and assessed the aftermath of the elections and formation of the cabinet.

09:26 FPM MP Alain Aoun said in an interview with Al-Mustaqbal that the relationship between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement has improved following the cabinet formation and will continue to strengthen “on the ministerial, parliamentary and political levels.”

8:35 MP George Adwan told VOL: The new cabinet doesn’t reflect the results of the June 7 polls. Lebanon is facing a decision “that could either open the door to a promising future or lead to the continuation of the situation that followed the May 7 events.

08:38 Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said in an interview with An-Nahar that the number of tourists visiting Lebanon will increase by 20% if stability persists in the country.

Friday

11;59 pm Suicide car bombs ripped through an office of Pakistan's main spy agency and hit a police post in the country's violent northwest Friday, killing at least 12 people in what appeared to be the Taliban's latest attempts

11:00pm The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his bullet wounds and may remain that way, his lawyer said Friday.

10:20 pm Hamas has suspended its rocket launches against Israel since the Gaza Strip war and is similarly curbing other armed Palestinian factions in the territory, Israel's military chief said on Friday.

10:10 Reuters: At least two people were killed on Friday when a chain of explosions ripped apart a Russian arms depot on Friday, shattering windows for miles around and forcing the evacuation of 3000 people

10:00 pm NASA discover about 26 gallons of water on the moon, the space agency announced Friday. Water on the moon, once a wild conjecture, appears to have become an established fact.

9:40pm PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat in an interview with Al-Manar: There is no doubt that I was shocked by May 7, the sectarian tensions, and hatred among the "one people"in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. My concern was to halt the sliding toward civil war. There is no fear of a war erupting among the Christians, but fear exists regarding the "Muslims , Shiites and Sunnis ". Extending the term of president Emile Lahoud was a big strategic mistake.

and an international agreement to implicitly accept a Lebanese government that includes Hezbollah with a seat at the UN Security Council. Regional and international messages exchanged through the Lebanese arena are reassuring for the Lebanese and for the region, at least for now. Also reassuring is what the Saad Hariri Government claims by defining itself as “the government of achievements”, signifying that it will focus on the economy, reform, job-creation and privatization, considering that consensus and rapprochement, especially between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Syria, provides a good window of opportunity for political stability that would be characterized by giving priority to the economy. All of this represents an opportunity for Hezbollah to position itself locally, regionally and internationally as a Lebanese political party that has its place and its standing, and to shake off its reputation as the third corner in what is referred to as the “Emirate Triangle”, the common denominator being the fact that they receive rockets from Iran, as well as its enmity towards the United States and the countries of Arab moderation. Its enmity towards Israel is natural as long as there is no peace between Lebanon and Israel, but rather a state of war, since officially the conflict between the two still stands. Nevertheless, it is not in Hezbollah’s interest to be part of a “triangle” or to form what is described as the “South Lebanon Emirate”, alongside the “Gaza Emirate” under Hamas’s supervision or the “Saada Emirate” under the Houthis in Yemen. The South’s inhabitants may want to lend moral and material support to help the Palestinians get rid of the Israeli occupation, but they most probably do not want to be party to the wars of the Houthis or of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Such plans are truly destructive and are feared to turn Yemen into another Somalia. The responsibility of the Yemenis themselves is the prime consideration, this including the mistakes made by the Yemeni government and by President Ali Abdullah Saleh in particular. Nevertheless, there are external forces that are tampering with Yemen and there is interference, one which Iran in particular admitted to. The reactions of Saudi Arabia in warding off the spread of the fighting to its own soil are understandable, as are its fears that the internal conflict coupled with the dry nature of Yemen’s territory could lead to an unnatural flow of human migration across its borders. Indeed, the geological aspect represents a “time bomb”, according to one of the most prominent experts on Saudi-Yemeni relations, a matter which urgently requires a well-planned policy towards it, within Saudi Arabia, regionally and also in the United States, as does the possibility of Yemen turning into Somalia. Yet the aims of the Islamic Republic of Iran are difficult to understand in Yemen - beyond dangerous sectarian polarization - especially as such polarization involves the possibility of turning portions of Yemen’s territory into fertile soil for Al-Qaeda. The slogans of enmity towards America and hatred towards the “Great Satan” seem necessary for the relationship of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the United States, even at a time of increased rapprochement between the two and increasing talk of behind-the-scenes agreements, of which allowing Lebanon to finally have its government cabinet is perhaps an indication. This does not negate the reality of the shifts and surprises, as well as the incomplete and bad policies in the region, for which Lebanon has become the testing ground. Today, however, the strongest indicator points to the fact that the correct interpretation of the situation is an American, regional, European, Russian and local necessity to avoid the available opportunity slipping into corridors and nightmares for everyone.

In the issue of Lebanon, to begin with, the era of Fouad Siniora heading the Lebanese government in one of its most difficult phases should be bidden farewell to with appreciation, praise and congratulations for the pleasant surprise that was Fouad Siniora himself. Indeed, this capable man has set down an important cementing element for Lebanon, that of emphasizing the importance of state institutions for the future of the country, a legacy which it is necessary for the current Prime Minister Saad Hariri to uphold and build upon insistently.

Lebanon’s membership in the Security Council for the next two years strengthens the possibilities of it playing an exceptional role regionally and internationally, and such a role must strengthen its political and social internal fabric. Thus, instead of a reputation that turns it into an arena for proxy wars, and of sarcasm at its political structure and at its leaderships bound to external powers, the exceptional role played by the only Arab member of the Security Council can bestow on Lebanon a prestige it is in need of. This is if it correctly understands the qualities of such a position as well as its constraints, without exaggeration or excessiveness in giving the seat at the Security Council an importance that exceeds its bounds…

Lebanon’s Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador Nawaf Salam is capable of representing Lebanon in the best way at the Security Council, and with him is an excellent team of diplomats, most of them having experience with the Security Council and two of them having represented Lebanon during one of its most difficult phases as Chargé d’Affaires of its mission, namely: current Deputy Ambassador Caroline Ziadeh and diplomat Ibrahim Assaf. During this period and before it, Majdi Ramadan had also been with them in the Lebanese mission for years, and he has returned to join the team. Thus the performance of Lebanese diplomacy has been characterized by wisdom, flexibility and composure, and that is part of the prestige Lebanon seeks after.

And because Nawaf Salam is an expert on international law, he has for example been able to play a fundamental and constructive role in bringing Arab stances closer together, and has participated in formulating an intelligent strategy in the Arabs addressing the report of Judge Richard Goldstone, which stated that Israel and Hamas had committed “war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity” in the Gaza war. This report will remain pivotal for Arab diplomacy at the United Nations and perhaps at the Security Council, especially if the Middle East peace process continues to deteriorate to rock bottom. Indeed, there is talk of the possibility of heading to the Security Council on the issue of the peace process, if the conclusion is reached that US sponsorship of such a process has reached a dead-end. In fact, the Security Council has adopted important resolutions over the peace process, including the resolution of establishing the state of Palestine alongside Israel on the basis of the road map.

If the issue of the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict was to return to the Security Council, Lebanon’s role would be of the utmost importance as its only Arab member. Similarly, in any non-Arab issues, Arab membership, represented by Lebanon, will have exceptional weight. In any case, there is the importance of proximity in forging resolutions concerned with world peace and security, which places countries elected to a seat at the Security Council at the same table of talks and negotiations that includes the five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France.

However, alongside rights and honor, tremendous responsibilities fall upon the shoulders of the Lebanese government as it takes its seat at the Security Council. Indeed, this seat is also one of testing the seriousness of the state and the standing it seeks after. Thus if the Lebanese delegation comes to reflect internal Lebanese disputes in the stances taken by Lebanon towards international issues, it will lose respect and also its ability to influence decision-making, as Lebanon is not a country that holds the right of veto and its vote is therefore not decisive. Hence, the importance of Lebanon at the Security Council lies in its influence much more than in its vote.

Security Council members, in their first meeting after the Lebanese government was formed this week, welcomed this achievement without any of them - including the United States - voicing reservations over the composition of the cabinet, which includes ministers who are members of Hezbollah. This is also a welcoming message to the membership of Lebanon in the council and a message of willingness to look the other way in order to help the country, however with an insistence on the resolve to implement all resolutions, including Resolution 1559, which the US representative made sure to mention. Indeed, the Security Council will not retract resolutions, and any attempt - or thought of one - towards the possibility of annulling or removing a certain resolution is only an unrealistic dream. Indeed, Resolution 1559, which demands the dismantling of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias is staying at the Security Council, as are the resolutions that established the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try those implicated in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and his companions, in addition to the other assassinations which the investigation proves to be related to that of Hariri. Thus it would be wise to avoid any attempt to rally against Security Council resolutions, and it is necessary for Lebanon to cling to the firm stance it has taken, that of committing to implement all of the resolutions that concern it.

Iran could create a climate of confrontation at the Security Council, this to bring the nuclear issue out of it and to return it exclusively to Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based. The message of the United States and Britain during the closed session this week to look into Resolution 1701, which is concerned with Lebanon and which has laid down the circumstances and the conditions of sustaining the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, was a clear one. Indeed, the representatives put forth the issue of the Iranian ship that was seized by Israel, which claimed that it was carrying weapons and headed to Syria on its way to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Yet they did so by holding Iran responsible and did not make use of it to attack Hezbollah. Similarly, the Security Council decided to refer the matter to the sanctions commission concerned with Iran, which prohibits Iran by virtue of Resolution 1747 from smuggling weapons outside of its territory.

Yet such a message of goodwill will not last if Hezbollah insists on forcing its own agenda on the Lebanese government. Indeed, the issue of “resistance” which it seeks to introduce to the ministerial statement was resolved under the Siniora government and there is no need to provoke a crisis and an unnecessary problem on the eve of Lebanon entering the council.

As for Iran, it is well able to take care of itself in its relations with the great powers. And just as there is no need for the United States, Russia or France to corner Lebanon on the issue of Iran, there is no need for Iran to expect Lebanon to clamor on its behalf. Indeed, Lebanon’s identity at the Security Council is an Arab one.

Hence developments on the regional scene should be monitored, as some of them may reach the UN Security Council. Indeed, the council has previously addressed the Yemeni and Saudi-Yemeni issue, and developments may bring this issue back to the council on a completely different basis.

Iran has admitted this week through its Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki its direct role in Yemen, thus supporting reports which state that Iran has been providing the Houthis with funds and weapons. In fact, Mottaki threatened, saying: “we strongly advise regional and neighboring states not to interfere in Yemen’s internal affairs”. He added, promising, that “those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows”.

The United States, its government, congress, media and people, are in complete ignorance of what is happening in Yemen and why. There are even high-ranking directors in the US Administration in charge of the issue of Yemen and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) who are surprised to hear of basic evident facts, after having decided to dwarf the issue and to reject the reports of Iran’s role in Yemen. Today, the US Administration, the American media and American intellectual and research institutions must devote themselves to understanding what is happening in Yemen before it is too late and it becomes the most dangerous failed state for the region and the world.

Likewise, Saudi diplomacy must participate in the information campaign by clarifying what its current policy and strategy is towards Yemen, and how it intends to handle the issue with Iran. Indeed, there is dire need to make US officials and the American media aware of the dangers of the “time bomb” called Yemen, in terms of the geology as well as of the rebellion, the tribal structure, the Houthis and the government.

The mistakes of the past are many and there is a need today to stop engaging in proxy wars and to build regional relations on the basis of turning countries into “effective states” for regional forces. Iran seems enthusiastic about persisting in this pattern, nearly making it its “signature brand”, while Arab countries wish to put a stop to such a pattern - either out of necessity or purposely due to them being occupied with internal matters and with the challenges of creating jobs for millions of young people.

Lebanon has benefited from rapprochement, consensus and agreement, at least temporarily and as a first step. As for Yemen, it deserves international mobilization before it is too late.

saying no plan of action had been developed since he took over the White House.

"France must act," Assad told French daily Le Figaro and criticized what he called the US "weak link" in efforts for renewed peace talks in the Middle East .

Relations between France and Syria have been warming since Assad paid a landmark visit to Paris last year for Bastille Day celebrations and Sarkozy visited Damascus two months later in September 2008.

Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris few days ago also told Sarkozy he was ready for talks with Syria.

Senior Israeli officials say Netanyahu told President Sarkozy he would be willing to meet President Assad "any time anywhere to move on the peace negotiations on the basis of no pre-conditions".

The main issue for the Syrians is getting back the Golan Heights , but the Israelis say Netanyahu may not be willing to withdraw from the territory that Israel captured during the 1967 War.

“ Syria wants the Golan Heights back and is not interested in negotiations unless they produce this outcome, ” a diplomat was quoted as saying

Turkish mediation between Israel and Syria broke off last year during Israel's offensive in Gaza, closing a promising diplomatic channel, but Ankara says it is willing to resume its role.
Sarkozy wants results from his relationships in the region and views Syria as the a key player. It holds the Hamas card, and splits the Hezbollah card with Iran. Syria is also useful in its alliance with Iran, as it showed when it helped gain the release of the French hostage, Clotilde Reiss, from an Iranian prison to the French Embassy in Tehran, where she remains.
Sarkozy believes that his friendship with Syria is going to separate Damascus from Tehran.
During Assad’s visit to Paris on Friday, Sarkozy is expected to thank Syria for its help in forming the Lebanese government.

Friday

11;59 pm Suicide car bombs ripped through an office of Pakistan's main spy agency and hit a police post in the country's violent northwest Friday, killing at least 12 people in what appeared to be the Taliban's latest attempts

11:00pm The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his bullet wounds and may remain that way, his lawyer said Friday.

10:20 pm Hamas has suspended its rocket launches against Israel since the Gaza Strip war and is similarly curbing other armed Palestinian factions in the territory, Israel's military chief said on Friday.

10:10 Reuters: At least two people were killed on Friday when a chain of explosions ripped apart a Russian arms depot on Friday, shattering windows for miles around and forcing the evacuation of 3000 people

10:00 pm NASA discover about 26 gallons of water on the moon, the space agency announced Friday. Water on the moon, once a wild conjecture, appears to have become an established fact.

9:40pm PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat in an interview with Al-Manar: There is no doubt that I was shocked by May 7, the sectarian tensions, and hatred among the "one people"in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. My concern was to halt the sliding toward civil war. There is no fear of a war erupting among the Christians, but fear exists regarding the "Muslims , Shiites and Sunnis ". Extending the term of president Emile Lahoud was a big strategic mistake.

9:00 pm Syria's Butheina Shaaban told AKI: There are no points of understanding between Syria and Israel that would allow the resumption of negotiations "because Israel does not want peace and it is Government of killing, siege, and destruction and not not a government of peace "

8:50 pm Houri: Bilateral relations between Lebanon and all Arab states, especially Syria, should be excellent

7:45pm MTV: Well-informed sources say the drafting of ministerial Policy Statement is expected before Independence Day.

5:35 pm After talks with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that he had no "Israeli partner" ready to push forward the Middle East peace process, rebuffing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer of talks.

4:15pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir will visit the Vatican on November 24 to participate in and examine the Middle East Synod draft.

4:01 : There are unconfirmed reports that a school in Baakleen Shouf was closed because of swine flue

3:12pm A handover ceremony between new and outgoing Environment Ministers Mohammed Rahal and Tony Karam was held at the ministry.

3:10pm LBC quoting Baabda Palace visitors: Ministerial Policy Statement will be ready before Independence Day and will be discussed in the second session of the cabinet.

2:50pm UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano: The recent months of UNIFIL's mission were full of challenges; however, we still firmly believe that permanent peace in South Lebanon is possible.

1:30pm President Michel Suleiman received a telegram from Jordan's King Abdullah II congratulating him on the new government.

12:19pm Energy Minister Jebran Bassil during the handover ceremony: It is not right for Lebanon to be without electricity and we must find a solution to this sector.

12:17pm Cabinet Minister Raya Hassan called for completing the reform process and improve citizens’ services.

12:15pm Interior Minister Ziad Baroud: The interior ministry is working within modest means; and we are doing our best to arrest thieves and reach a settlement over the issue of drugs.

11:45 State Minister Adnan Assayed Hussein to Manar TV: Cabinet policy statement will be based on the statement of ex-PM Fouad Saniora’s government.

11:15 Labor Minister Boutros Harb discussed current developments with Social Affairs Minister Salim al-Sayegh.

7:35 Youth and Sports Minister Ali Abdullah to VDL: The ministerial policy statement will not be different from the previous one. The government is likely to get confidence ahead of Independence Day.

Thursday

]

11:45 pm BBC : Swine flu has killed nearly 4000 people in the US, including 540 children, officials said after devising a new counting method. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the new system is based on more precise figures

11:30pm PM Hariri left for saudi Arabia on a private visit

11:30 pm AP: President Barack Obama's drawn-out decision-making on Afghanistan is sending messages. To the Afghan government: Clean up your act.

10:30 pm Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said "Hezbollah will work through this government to make it efficient and interactive by cooperating with all the parties,"

10:20 pm AFP: After discussing peace efforts with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Paris on Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in order to discuss conditions for the renewal of negotiations.

10:12pm Gemayel told Al Arabiyeh : the talk about us leaving March 14 is not logical . what united us with its leaders is bloodand nothing can separate us and we will be cooperating within the government and the parliament

10:10 pm VOA : Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is calling for sweeping economic, social, political, and military modernization of his country. In his second annual State of the Nation address, the Kremlin leader said Russia must become a society of smart, free and responsible people - instead of an archaic society in which a few think and decide for all.

10;00 pm Military prosecutors have charged Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder in last week's shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Tex

Suleiman's visit comes two days after the formation of the new Lebanese government and few hours before Assad's departure to Paris for work visit.

The two sides were expected to discuss the latest developments in the region and the relationship between the two countries, according to Syria’s news agency SANA

Bilateral relationship between Damascus and Beirut has been improved in the last few months.

"President Assad hopes that this new page of cooperation between Syria and Lebanon would help (bring) stability and development to Lebanon and the Lebanese people," SANA quoted an official from the presidential palace as saying.

According to As-Safir daily the summit will produce Syrian support for the new Lebanon government. It will also pave the way for the open door policy that Damascus has decided to follow in light of the new Lebanese political path after the June parliamentary elections.

As-Safir also reported that Suleiman described his relationship with Prime Minister Saad Hariri as "good". In an interview published by As-Safir daily newspaper on Thursday, president Suleiman said that the new Prime Minister Hariri “has good intentions.”

"The experience as premier-designate was useful for him because it enabled him to go into deep discussions with Opposition figures," the Lebanese president believed that such experience would “facilitate the work of the government and build bridges of trust.”

According to local political observers , Suleiman’s visit will pave the way for the visits of premier Hariri and MP Walid Jumblatt, who have been planning to make a ''historic'' visit to Syria, a country accused by both leaders of being behind the murder of their fathers: Kamal Jumblatt in 1977 and the former premier Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Thursday

]

11:45 pm BBC : Swine flu has killed nearly 4000 people in the US, including 540 children, officials said after devising a new counting method. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the new system is based on more precise figures

11:30pm PM Hariri left for saudi Arabia on a private visit

11:30 pm AP: President Barack Obama's drawn-out decision-making on Afghanistan is sending messages. To the Afghan government: Clean up your act.

10:30 pm Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said "Hezbollah will work through this government to make it efficient and interactive by cooperating with all the parties,"

10:20 pm AFP: After discussing peace efforts with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Paris on Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in order to discuss conditions for the renewal of negotiations.

10:12pm Gemayel told Al Arabiyeh : the talk about us leaving March 14 is not logical . what united us with its leaders is bloodand nothing can separate us and we will be cooperating within the government and the parliament

10:10 pm VOA : Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is calling for sweeping economic, social, political, and military modernization of his country. In his second annual State of the Nation address, the Kremlin leader said Russia must become a society of smart, free and responsible people - instead of an archaic society in which a few think and decide for all.

10;00 pm Military prosecutors have charged Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder in last week's shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Tex

9:50pm Change and Reform bloc leader Michel Aoun told LBC: God granted me vision and I always said that Lebanon is only governed by consensus . We have fought to bring justice back to the Lebanese system and abolish injustice and the marginalization of Christians . I am not in the position to evaluate Hariri....we built bridges together and I believe we can build a good relation with him.

9:44 pm Aoun told LBC: the agreement over government formation took place before Bassil visited Syria . Suleiman Franjiyeh 's involvement did not bother me

9:30pm Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel told Al-Arabiya: We felt like the Phalange party lost martyrs while others took all the credit. I’m sorry to say that I’m talking about some March 14 forces.

8:15pm Social Affairs Minister Salim al-Sayegh told MTV: Phalange Party is still at the core of parliamentary majority alliance , and is not seeking an alibi to divorce it.

8:06pm OTV: Hariri started preparations for visit to Syria and is now in [process of assembling his accompanying delegation

8:05pm PM Hariri received a call from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulating on the formation of the government.

7:15pm Security forces managed to arrest the killer of First Sergeant Charbel Jarjoura

5:50 pm Al Manar : Syrian presidential adviser Buthaina Shaaban said it is "still early to talk about practical steps regarding the visit of PM Saad Hariri to Syria.” Sources close to Hariri did not rule out a visit to Damascus by the Lebanese premier, however, the visit "was not imminent."

5:50pm President Suleiman met at the Baabda Palace with State Ministers Mona Ofeish and Adnan al-Sayed Hussein

4:16pm U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison departed Beirut heading toward the U.S.

3:17 The Palestinian electoral commission on Thursday said general elections called for January should be postponed, because the vote cannot take place in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

3:17pm PM Saad Hariri met with Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil. The two men discussed the affairs of Bassil's ministry and general issues.

3:19pm LBC : The Lebanese security forces was able to identify the man suspected of killing First Adjutant Charbel Jarjoura. He is a Palestinian, who carries a Jordanian passport and has been hiding in Palestinian refuge camp of Burg el Barajneh

3:15 pm SANA: In a statement issued after their meeting, Assad calls for strengthening consensus in Lebanon; Sleiman emphasizes "special relations" with Syria

3:00pm MP Michel al-Murr: Hariri will visit Syria in a few days, and the Syrian role was effective in ending the governmental crisis.

2:38pm Interior Minister Ziad Baroud headed an extraordinary Central Security Council meeting.

2:28 pm LAF and ISF arrest man suspected of killing First Adjutant Charbel Jarjoura, who was murdered on Jal al-Dib-Antelias highway Wednesday

12:48pm NNA: Suleiman returns to Baabda via helicopter following the 90-minute summit with Assad.

12:22pm MP Talal Arslan received two separate phone calls from Suleiman and Hariri: Need to unite around the army and the resistance to thwart Israeli plots.

12:08. Future News: The session for the election of parliamentary committees ended. MPs elect parliamentary commissions based on prior agreements

11:30 Security forces at Beirut airport arrested a man who was trying to smuggle large quantities of drugs to Amsterdam.

11:15 Hariri, Berri meet at Nejmeh Square

11:00 Suleiman arrived in Damascus for talks with Assad.

10:42 Makari says there is prior agreement on elections of parliamentary commissions

10:35 PM Saad Hariri arrives at Nejmeh Square to participate in parliamentary commissions election session

10:15 President Michel Suleiman traveled to Syria to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

8:25 Labor Minister Boutros Harb to VDL: There is no disagreement on resolution 1701 and the resolution on the international tribunal. The most important thing is to discuss a mechanism to agree on different issues.

7:35 Former MP Mustafa Alloush to VDL: Relations with Syria should be based on the concept of brotherhood and not subordination.

Wednesday

9:30 pm PM Saad Hariri stressed the need to “build the trust that is missing between the Lebanese and their state.” He added that Lebanon “will not remain a battlefield for regional conflicts,” highlighting his commitment to “Arabism,” and “the Lebanese state.”

According to Hariri, “The Lebanese deserve a civil and secure state to continue the messages of Arabism and culture.”
8:00 pm Times: A Russian-born immigrant who stabbed to death a pregnant Muslim woman as she gave evidence against him in court was today given Germany's highest possible sentence for murder - 15 years' jail with no chance of early parole.

7:59 pm Yemen's official news agency says the country has signed a military cooperation deal with the United States, as Yemen battles a growing Shi'ite rebellion in the north.

7:57pm Phalange Party said it will be part of the government and suggested a reform plan for March 14 and said it supports its representative, Minister of Social Affairs Selim Sayegh

7:55pm Phalange Party political bureau member Sejaan Kazzi: The government formation does not represents the Lebanese ambitions and the implementation of the true democratic system.

Salim Sayegh , the Social Affairs Minister who represents the Phalange Party in the 12 member committee charged with writing the ministerial policy statement has stayed away from the first meeting and did not even participate yesterday in the photo opportunity of the cabinet.

In a statement issued later on Wednesday, the Phalange Party stressed that despite its “weak representation” in the new Cabinet, compared to its popular and parliamentary weight, recent attempts to exclude the party from-decision making on the national level would fail.

The Phalange Party wanted the ministry of Education but instead it was allocated the Social Affairs Ministry.

Following the party’s politburo meeting this afternoon , Phalange politburo member Sejaan Qazzi said the Phalange in its role in the new government would remain committed to meeting the social and economic needs of Lebanese people.

“The Phalange Party, despite demanding the Education portfolio as part of aspirations to abolish sectarianism in education programs, appreciates the importance of the Social Affairs Ministry which we hold and thus will work toward boosting the ministry’s role,” the statement added.

The party’s politburo also called for a leadership to work toward the implementation of future reforms with regard to flaws in the Taif Accord.

Earlier today , Labor Minister Butros Harb visited the Phalange party headquarter in Saifi and met with its leader former president Amin Gemayel . Following their meeting Harb stressed the importance of the Phalange Party’s participation in the Cabinet

“I believe in Gemayel’s wisdom and patriotism as he is assessing the situation rather than reacting spontaneously,” Harb said.

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun also stressed Wednesday the importance of the participation of the Phalange party and added : “No group was given what it hoped its share would be in the new cabinet,”

for a country more accustomed to serving as a battleground in regional power struggles was the fact that Lebanon has had no government since parliamentary elections in June. That was until Monday, when the majority U.S.-backed political bloc and its rivals in the Syria- and Iran-backed minority coalition finally agreed on a new power-sharing Cabinet. But while the deal ends the three-year political crisis that brought the country to the brink of civil war, it doesn't address the question underlying the dispute: Should Lebanon be a Westward-looking business-oriented tourist playground, or a frontline bastion of resistance to Israel?

Although the Western path edged out the militant posture of Hezbollah at the polls in June, Lebanon's weak political system, structured according to sect, and Hezbollah's status as one of the world's most dangerous nonstate armies, guarantees that the Shi'ite militia will remain a force to be reckoned with in Lebanese politics. (See pictures of the youth of Hezbollah.)

Ever since it survived a 33-day onslaught by Israel in the summer of 2006, Hezbollah has accused the American- and Saudi-backed ruling coalition of doing Israel's work by seeking to disarm the organization's armed wing. (The argument by its rivals is that no state can tolerate the existence of private armies independent of the sovereign government.) After the issue provoked more than a year of massive demonstrations and sit-ins in central Beirut, Hezbollah tried to settle matters the old-fashioned way in May 2008 by storming pro-government positions in West Beirut. But while its highly trained fighters easily overran the government supporters, the move alienated many Lebanese, and a democratic victory — which would have given Hezbollah's military wing all the political cover it desired — proved to be elusive. While Hezbollah and its allies easily carried the Shi'ite vote, the Christian ally it would have needed to form a government was soundly defeated in that community's polls.

Although it accepted defeat in its effort to win control of the government at the ballot box, Hezbollah has since maneuvered behind the scenes to rig the composition of the Cabinet in its favor. First it demanded veto power over all decisions, but eventually it accepted a compromise formula that left the ruling coalition without a large enough majority to make big decisions on its own. Still not content with that, the opposition pushed for control of Lebanon's telecommunications system, which would give Hezbollah added operational security from Israeli intelligence — but could also help it hamper the activities of the U.N. tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. That tribunal has implicated Syrian officials in the killing, and much of its evidence comes from telephone records. Though Hezbollah has denied wanting to derail the investigation, such pressure on its patron could disrupt the flow of weapons over the Syrian border to the Shi'ite group's arsenal. (Read a brief history of Hezbollah.)

Saad Hariri, son of the murdered former Prime Minister and leader of the ruling coalition, initially balked at Hezbollah's terms, but eventually had no choice but to give in. Lebanon's longstanding deadly rivalries and the ever present threat of violence have made Lebanese politicians wary of acting unilaterally, which is why Hariri invited Hezbollah and its allies into the Cabinet in the first place. And Hariri is increasingly isolated, with none of his allies being prepared to confront Hezbollah head-on given the experience of the May 2008 mini-civil war.

While the Bush Administration regarded the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon in 2005 — as a result of international pressure and Lebanese street protests — as one of its biggest successes in the Middle East, the new Obama Administration has been less aggressive in its backing for the pro-U.S. Lebanese government. Lebanese media also suggest that Saudi Arabia was dismayed that Hariri's Future movement, which had been building a militia with Saudi money, was so easily routed by Hezbollah in the May 2008 street fights. Last month, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah traveled to Damascus for a state visit with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in part to bury the hatchet over Lebanon. Even Hariri's coalition is breaking apart. Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon's Druze community and one of the architects of the anti-Syrian movement (he once told a Washington audience that America should send car bombs to Damascus), has seen which way the wind is blowing and transformed himself into an ardent Syria-phile.

But the government's caving in to Hezbollah and Syria will have its consequences: most importantly it's a message to those in Lebanon — and the wider Middle East — who put their trust in the U.S. and political reform that guns are still more powerful than votes. Watching the Syrian-backed opposition hamstring the investigation into his father's murder will have been a bitter pill for Hariri and his followers to swallow. When the time comes to settle scores, they may be more likely to choose bullets rather than ballots to do the job.

Source: Time

was formed yesterday and includes the following 12 ministers :

Boutros Harb, Tarek Mitri, Mohammad Fneish , Jean Ogassapian, Wael Abu Faour, Ziad Baroud, Ali Hussein el Shami, Charbel Nahhas , Gebran Bassil , Rayya al-Haffar al-Hassan, Salim Al-Sayegh and Youssef Saadeh will convene tomorrow its first meeting at the Grand Serail

Saad Hariri who was officially welcomed into the Grand Serail for the first time as the prime minister on Wednesday will presided over the meeting of the 12-member ministerial committee later today

According to media reports , in order to speed up the coining of the ministerial statement , the same paragraph that dealt with Hezbollah arms in the last ministerial statement will be used again.

According to the constitution the cabinet has one month to announce its Ministerial statement.

According to PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat , the ministerial statement should center around three major topics: “Respect for international resolutions, the right for resistance until liberation of occupied land and the armistice agreement with Israel.”

Once the government is ready to announce its ministerial statement , a parliamentary session will be held for the vote of confidence, which is guaranteed in this case since all the parties are represented

Once Hariri secures the vote of confidence the next item on the agenda will be when to go to Syria and the big question right now in Lebanon is : Who will go first , Jumblatt or Hariri ?

Based on morning reports Jumblatt can’t wait to go to Syria . He told the pro-Syrian al-Akhbar newspaper that he has decided to go to Damascus , but will let Hariri go first.

"Maybe Hariri's visit would help prepare for my visit," Jumblatt said

Jumblatt also told the paper that he is still part of the parliamentary majority but "distinguishes" himself from the March 14 forces.

He stressed that the real problem in Lebanon is not between the March 8 and 14 forces. "The problem is among Muslims - Sunnis and Shiites … it is not between Muslims and Christians." He said

One thing that will certainly shock his supporters, Jumblatt told the paper : “Given Lebanon's geographic location, Syria's influence in Lebanon is permissible “

Wednesday

9:30 pm PM Saad Hariri stressed the need to “build the trust that is missing between the Lebanese and their state.” He added that Lebanon “will not remain a battlefield for regional conflicts,” highlighting his commitment to “Arabism,” and “the Lebanese state.”

According to Hariri, “The Lebanese deserve a civil and secure state to continue the messages of Arabism and culture.”
8:00 pm Times: A Russian-born immigrant who stabbed to death a pregnant Muslim woman as she gave evidence against him in court was today given Germany's highest possible sentence for murder - 15 years' jail with no chance of early parole.

7:59 pm Yemen's official news agency says the country has signed a military cooperation deal with the United States, as Yemen battles a growing Shi'ite rebellion in the north.

7:57pm Phalange Party said it will be part of the government and suggested a reform plan for March 14 and said it supports its representative, Minister of Social Affairs Selim Sayegh

7:55pm Phalange Party political bureau member Sejaan Kazzi: The government formation does not represents the Lebanese ambitions and the implementation of the true democratic system.

7:38pm an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of drugs at the airport was foiled and a Dutchman was arrested

7:19 pm A Syrian commits suicide in Western Bekaa with a hunting gun

7:16pm drugs and two handguns were found and confiscated inside a chalet in Kesrwan and a dealer and a girl were arrested

7:03 pm Deputy US Ambassador to the Security Council Alejandro Wolf said during a UN Security Council session that Francop ship, which Israel claims was transporting weapons from Iran to Lebanon, is a clear violation of Resolution 1701. He called on the Security Council to “take actions following such violations, especially concerning disarming Hezbollah.

6:53 pm Celebratory gunfire heard in Beirut marking the start of Hezbollah’s Martyrs Day ceremony

6:43 pm Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivers a speech on the occasion of “Martyrs Day” " We take positively the Syrian-Saudi summit, and we were the first to reap its fruits. We call for a Saudi-Iranian rapprochement to establish communication between the two countries " he said

5:58pm Hamid Kreydiyah was elected as Chairman of the Casino du Liban

5:55 pm Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir will send his envoy, director of Lebanon’s Catholic Media Center Father Abdo Abou Kasem, to attend the Martyr’s Day ceremony held by Hezbollah in Dahiyeh on Wednesday evening.

5:30pm Hundreds of Phalange Party supporters arrived in Saifi to protest the cabinet formation and ask their party to take a stern resolution.

5:13pm A meeting is underway at Saifi for the politburo of Phalange Party. The meeting is headed by Phalange leader, former president Amin Gemayel and the objective is to decide on whether the party should participate in the government or withdrawal from it

5:05pm FPM leader MP Michel Aoun after Change and Reform bloc meeting: The headlines of next stage are Paris 3, privatization, and production boosting. It is better if Phalange Party participates in the government.

4:27pm Minister Mitri clarified Lebanon's position with regards to the Saudi border clashes: President Suleiman has stressed the importance of respecting the Saudi sovereignty and the Saudi Arabia's right to spread its authority throughout its territories

4:10pm LF leader Samir Geagea met the March 14 lawyers that won the election of the north Lebanese syndicate

4:07pm The weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc is underway in Rabiyeh in the presence of its ministers.

3:55 pm MP Oqab Saqr after meeting Bishop Aoudeh : The problem is solved and nothing should prevent Sayegh from participating in the ministerial committee that is charged with preparation of the ministerial statement

3;50 pm Yemen hit out on Wednesday at what it called Iranian "interference" in its affairs after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki criticized regional intervention in Sanaa's war with Shiaa rebels in a barely veiled allusion to Saudi Arabia."In response to the remarks of Mottaki, we affirm that Yemen categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs by any party whatsoever"

3:20pm LBC: The murdered victim in Antelias shooting incident is the Lebanese Army First Sergeant Charbel Jarjoura. Security forces are pursuing the shooter who reportedly spoke with a non-Lebanese accent.

3:02pm LBC: Some positive reports are hinting that Phalange Party will participate in the coming meetings of the cabinet's Policy Statement Committee.

3:00pm The first meeting of the Committee charged with coining the ministerial Policy Statement has ended. It lasted for around 2 hours.

2:55 pm Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday that Iran is prepared to cooperate with the government of Yemen and other nations in order to restore security in the country

2:15pm VOL: One person was killed and another injured in Antelias after a gunman opened fire on them from a vehicle that was stolen the day before.

1:15pm Harb after meeting Gemayel: I came to discuss with Gemayel the issue of the cabinet. I stress on the necessity of having the Phalange in the cabinet.

1:05pm Judge Fadi Sawan demanded the death penalty for 4 people for collaborating with Israel.

12:15pm Phalange leader Amin Gemayel is meeting with Minister Boutros Harb at the Phalange headquarters in Saifi.

11:59 PM Saad Hariri arrived at the Grand Serail.

11:30 Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told LBC: Minister Boutros Harb is close to stances supported by the LF.

11:23 Three Lebanese Hawker Hunter warplanes will carry out drills over Beirut and its suburbs on Wednesday in preparation for the celebrations scheduled to take place on Independence Day on November 22.
11:17 Minister Akram Shehayeb told Free Lebanon: My objective is to close the file of the displaced following their return to their hometowns.

11:15 Preparations are underway for PM Saad Hariri’s first official entry to the Grand Serail.

10:00 US Congressional delegation headed by David Price met representatives of parliamentary blocs at Nejmeh Square to discuss the latest political developments in Lebanon. Neither Amal Movement nor Hezbollah representatives were present.

08:45 MP Oqab Sakr says Gemayel will not withdraw from March 14

8:22 Minister Mohammed Rahal told VOL: The atmosphere is positive and all sides have the intention to work for the nation.

8:20 Minister Mona Ofeish: I hope I would be able to turn the projects linked to women that I have worked on into laws.

02:00 am A massive power failure threw Brazil's two largest cities into darkness Tuesday night along with other parts of Latin America's largest nation, affecting millions of people.

Tuesday

12:00 pm John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind of the 2002 deadly sniper rampage that terrorized the US capital, awaited execution here Tuesday evening.

9:11 pm PSP's Rami Rayyes told ANB: The Phalange party has to understand that it is not the only one that has reservations about the cabinet lineup

6:20 pm The White House issued a statement on Tuesday saying that no lasting solution in the region can be reached at the expense of Lebanon, which it described as playing a “key role” in achieving comprehensive peace in the Middle East.