President Michel Suleiman called for firm measures against any security breach, noting that the strong political rhetoric is causing political, security, and economic instabilities, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

“The strong political rhetoric and the failure to act responsibly and to abide by the constitution according to the Taif accord are the reasons behind the political, security and economic instabilities,” Suleiman stressed.

Phalange Party Amin Gemayel praised on Saturday Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s trip to France, saying that “this is the image of Lebanon we want to promote abroad, not that of infighting.”

He said in a statement: “The Tripoli unrest is linked to external affairs and it has nothing to do with Lebanon.”

No progress will be achieved in resolving the government crisis until Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas approves the transportation allowance that is part of the government wage hike, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s circles informed As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Saturday.

They added that the minister is obligated to publish the decree after the cabinet approved it even if the decision contradicts his views.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement official Mustafa Allouch denied on Saturday that the arms depot that exploded in Abi Samra neighborhood of Tripoli belonged to his party, according to the National News Agency.

“It's not unusual that some sides always try to accuse us of lies,” he said.

Two corpses allegedly belonging to Hizbullah members were reportedly entered to Lebanon from Syria on Friday, said al-Mustaqbal daily on Saturday.

The corpses were transferred to a hospital in the southern city of Tyre where forensics experts sought to inspect them, but they were later prevented by Hizbullah, whose members cordoned off the building before entering it, sources from the city told the daily.

The speeches that will be made at the February 14 ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri will primarily focus on local developments and then Syrian crisis, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It added that it remains to be seen which members of the Syrian National Council will give a speech at the event, which will be held at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center.

The Victims’ Participation Unit of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon has submitted to STL Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen “73 applications from individuals who claim to have suffered physical, material or mental harm as a result of the 14 February 2005 (bomb) attack” that killed ex-PM Rafik Hariri and 22 other people, the STL said in a statement on Friday.

“A decision on each application will be made in due course by the Pre-Trial Judge,” it noted.

Shooting broke out on Friday in the northern city of Tripoli as pro- and anti-Syria gunmen deployed heavily in the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, Agence France Presse reported.

"There is a heavy armed presence and shooting in the Sunni Muslim neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen," a security official said, requesting anonymity.

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Friday called on the Arab countries to recognize the opposition Syrian National Council as the “legitimate representative” of the Syrian people.

Hariri warned about “the dangers of the war waged by the Syrian regime against the growing popular revolution across Syria,” said a statement released by his press office.

President Michel Suleiman on Friday stressed that “Lebanon is in a dire need for dialogue among its components” amid the extraordinary circumstances the Arab region is going through.

Separately, the president called on the state to shoulder its responsibilities in providing employment opportunities for the newly-graduated students and to keep them away from the political distribution of shares.