Saturday News Briefs
7 November, 2009
Beirut - PM-designate Saad Hariri met with opposition member Gibran Bassil on Friday night, finally reaching consensus on the cabinet lineup. Meanwhile Iran has allegedly rejected the UN-brokered nuclear plan.
Friday News Briefs & Editorial
6 November, 2009
Beirut- What we are witnessing in Lebanon is real theatrical role playing in politics . General Aoun is playing the role of the spoiler while Speaker Berri is playing the role of the facilitator . In the background is Hezbollah which is backing Aoun’s demands on the local level while
Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
5 November, 2009
Beirut- The Israeli navy said Wednesday that its commandos had seized an Iranian container ship carrying an estimated 600 tons of rockets, guns and other munitions that was bound for latakia , Syria and was reportedly ultimately destined for the Islamist Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
Wednesday News Briefs
4 November, 2009
Beirut- The Council of Maronite Bishops held their monthly meeting today at Bkirki . Following the meeting they said in a statement that they have adopted the same stance that has been advocated by Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and expressed their disappointment with the delay
Tuesday News Briefs
3 November, 2009
Beirut - Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly given the end of the week as an ultimatum for government formation and threatened to make stances that would not be welcomed by some politicians in case an agreement wasn't reached on the cabinet by the end of the week.
Berri reportedly "no longer knows
Monday News Briefs & Editorial
2 November, 2009
Beirut- Lebanon is still without a government simply because General Michel Aoun is no hurry. According to media reports he is not only insisting on retaining the ministry of communications , he continues to insist on giving it to his son- in- law Gebran Bassil despite the fact that he failed in the June 7 election.
Sunday News Briefs
1 November, 2009
The wife of the late PM Rafik Hariri addressed the Lebanese on Sunday, remembering the assassinated leader on the occasion of his Birthday. Meanwhile Judge Joyce Tabet took on a new role related to the Special Tribunal.
Saturday News Briefs & Editorial
31 October, 2009
Beirut- Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem attacked Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir without naming him in person , saying "the Resistance is Lebanon's strength and we will not renounce it ". In a show of disrespect for Sfeir's criticism , Qassem went on to say :
Friday News Briefs & Editorial
30 October, 2009
Beirut- Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir highlighted yesterday what we have been saying all along about Hezbollah arms when he announced that arms and democracy do not match, in the same manner that parliamentary majority and minority cannot be combined in one government.
Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
29 October, 2009
Beirut - It has been nearly five months since the last election and Lebanon still does not have a government . Both Speaker Nabih Berri and Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh are reportedly trying to mediate between Prime minister Designate Saad Hariri and FPM leader Michel Aoun, since he is seen
Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
28 October, 2009
Beirut- Yesterday launching of a rocket from the south of Lebanon against Israel was another reason why arms should not be in the wrong hands in Lebanon. The launching of a Katyusha rocket from a valley between the Lebanese border villages of Houla and Mais al-Jabal drew a rapid response
Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
27 October, 2009
Beirut - Free Patriotic Movement leader general Michel Aoun continues to be identifies as the main obstacle facing the formation of the government , but most observers believe he is just a front for the Hezbollah .PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt said yesterday :” The obstruction against the
Monday News Briefs & Editorial
26 October, 2009
Beirut - Finally speaker Nabih Berri has joined the bulk of the Lebanese people and declared that he is “disgusted with the delay in forming the cabinet “. He told his visitors Monday that he is ready to roll up his sleeves and begin to work toward a solution to the long-running Cabinet crisis.
Sunday News Briefs & Editorial
25 October, 2009
Beirut - Forming a government has become an extremely frustrating affair for PM designate Saad Hariri. General Michel Aoun is being projected as the main obstacle , but the real obstacle is Hezbollah arms. Without these arms General Aoun wouldn’t have been in any position to impose any conditions
Saturday News Briefs & Editorial
24 October, 2009
Beirut : Regional stability …is the title of all the advice Lebanon has been getting . All regional and international powers have been urging Lebanon to form a government as quickly as possible for the sake of ’ regional stability ‘ . Even president Obama expressed hope yesterday that Lebanon
Friday News Briefs & Editorial
23 October, 2009
Beirut - It sure seems the time has not come yet to form a cabinet in Lebanon. General Aoun’s bombshell announcement of his new demands rocked all hopes for optimism that prevailed during the past 2 weeks .According to MP Jumblatt there are regional and internal forces that didn’t want
Thursday News Briefs & Editorial
22 October, 2009
Beirut - The optimism over the cabinet formation evaporated after the Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun announced he was holding onto his current ministerial portfolios and demand an extra seat. This new demand reportedly shocked Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri
Wednesday News Briefs & Editorial
21 October, 2009
Beirut - Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman spelled out the conditions for ending the role of the UNIFIL in southern Lebanon : Israel should withdraw completely from Lebanese territories, stop spying on Lebanon , should comply with UNSCR 1701 and end its Lebanese airspace violations
Tuesday News Briefs & Editorial
20 October, 2009
Beirut - Aoun’s interview last night with the Syrian Satellite TV sounded like a pledge of allegiance to Syria. The Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel said he found himself obliged to defend Syria after the majority March 14 forces accused Damascus every time an explosion took place in Lebanon.
Monday News Briefs & Editorial
19 October, 2009
Beirut- At least five commanders of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps were killed and dozens of other people were left dead and wounded on Sunday in two bombings in the restive southeast along Iran’s frontier with Pakistan, according to Iranian state news agencies.
