The Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon invited newly elected Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to visit Syria in the near future, stressing that Damascus wants all the best for Lebanon.

“The new Patriarch is invited to visit Syria where he’s always welcomed,” Ali Abdul Karim Ali said Wednesday in remarks to the press after visiting Bkirki to congratulate the patriarch.

Hizbullah has criticized Arab military intervention in Bahrain, saying it would hamper efforts at finding a peaceful solution to a pro-democracy uprising in the kingdom.

"Military intervention and the use of force against a peaceful popular movement will not lead to a solution and will complicate matters while hampering chances of finding a solution," the party said in a statement late Tuesday.

Political sources have denied that Hizbullah has conditioned Premier-designate Najib Miqati on the inclusion of an article in the cabinet’s policy statement that cuts Lebanon’s ties with the international tribunal.

Hizbullah has decided to deal with each case as it arises, the sources said, adding that Miqati’s government will seek to avoid a confrontation with the international community by steering clear of an immediate agreement to abolish the court.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati has noted that “the political, economic and social challenges facing our country, in addition to the dangerous developments in the region, require the formation of a balanced cabinet in which no group would have the upper hand over the other participating parties.”

“From the time I was designated to form the cabinet, we had decided, the president and I, to abide by the provisions of the Constitution, which defines the duties of each branch of government,” Miqati told his visitors Wednesday.

Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri is scheduled to hold meetings with al-Mustaqbal leaderships and supporters in the northern port city of Tripoli on Wednesday.

As Safir daily said Hariri went to Tripoli on Tuesday night and is expected to reside at the Quality Inn hotel for three days.

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated the need to speed up the cabinet formation process and said “it wasn’t acceptable to waste more time anymore.”

In remarks to An Nahar and As Safir dailies published Wednesday, Berri called for dealing with the daily problems of the Lebanese, including social and economic issues, away from the political bickering.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has denied Syrian interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs and expressed confidence in the March 8 forces’ ability to form the new Lebanese government.

“We don’t interfere in the formation of the Lebanese cabinet. We have confidence in the majority in Lebanon which has enough awareness and absolute faith in Lebanon’s interests,” Muallem said Tuesday during a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Trinidad Jimenez.

The interior ministry expressed Tuesday "extreme regret over the breach of the (U.N.) investigation's confidentiality through publishing information and sometimes proceedings which are supposed to be confidential," after a report published by The Daily Star newspaper accused Interior Minister Ziad Baroud of "procrastination" in responding to requests by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

As the ministry criticized media leaks, it stressed that it will continue to perform its duties, asking the caretaker cabinet to address the issue "as no minister should be unwarrantedly accused in light of the split in the country over such a major topic."

Hundreds of angry protesters took to the streets in the northern city of Tripoli Tuesday, burning tires and blocking roads in protest against Tawheed Movement leader Wiam Wahhab's recent remarks on Saudi women.

Around 500 protesters gathered and chanted "There is no God but God" and "Wiam, you pig; you should be chained down."

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday said that the Lebanese who commemorated Sunday the 6th anniversary of the Cedar Revolution had expressed their "rejection and confrontation against the attempts of terrorization and intimidation and the use of weapons to bully unarmed citizens who want to live in peace under the State's wings."

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting in Qureitem under ex-PM Fouad Saniora, the bloc stressed "the major national stance expressed by the Lebanese on that occasion concerning commitment to resisting Israel and confronting its hostility against Lebanon through the weapons which must be put under the Lebanese State's authority."