Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami urged the state on Saturday to put an end to arms proliferation following an attack on his convoy in the northern city of Tripoli.

In remarks to visiting delegations, Karami played down Friday's assault that erupted after gunmen from the neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh demanding the release of Islamists held in Roumieh prison clashed with his bodyguards and then tossed a grenade at the convoy, setting a four-wheeler on fire.

The Bulgarian foreign ministry has declined to comment on a report that an investigation will link Hizbullah to the July 2012 tourist bombing that killed five Israelis.

On Thursday, Israel's Channel 2 reported that the Bulgarian investigation, which will be released soon, found Hizbullah was behind the bombing in Burgas that killed the five tourists and their Bulgarian driver.

President Michel Suleiman traveled to Moscow on Saturday for talks with his Russian counterpart and to receive an award on his role in calling for dialogue and opening channels of communication between bickering parties.

Suleiman's three-day visit at the head of a delegation that includes deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel comes following an official invitation sent by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I.

A meeting held between the head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, the leader of the Phalange party and a March 14 opposition lawmaker confirmed the strong alliance between them, sources said Saturday.

An Nahar daily said the meeting that brought together al-Mustaqbal's Fouad Saniora, Amin Gemayel, who heads the Phalange, and March 14 independent MP Butros Harb was held on Thursday night on the sidelines of a social event.

Speaker Nabih Berri said Saturday that a meeting he has held with al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora needs “follow up” after they did not reach consensus on an electoral draft-law.

The meeting was “honest and transparent, and needs follow up,” Berri told An Nahar newspaper.

A Lebanese couple have challenged the sectarian personal status code in Lebanon, tying the knot in a first of a kind civil marriage in the country on November 11, 2012, LBCI television reported on Friday.

“Kholoud Sukkariyah and Nidal Darwish removed the reference of their sects from their respective IDs and based their marital contract on Decree No. 60 L.R,” said Lawyer Talal Husseini, who authored the draft.

A Progressive Socialist Party delegation held talks on Friday with Popular Bloc leader Elias Skaff to discuss the latest local and regional developments, including party leader MP Walid Jumblat's initiative to persuade political leaders to return to national dialogue.

Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi al-Aridi said after the meeting: “We were in agreement with Skaff over the importance of dialogue as the only way to return the situation in Lebanon back to normal.”

The Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc stressed on Friday that it will remain committed to its alliance with the March 14 coalition.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting headed by LF leader Samir Geagea: “Regardless of the extent of the dispute over the parliamentary electoral law, we will remain committed to our allies, starting with the Mustaqbal Movement.”

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly welcomed on Friday the resumption of active discussions on the electoral law, praising Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's support for this political process.

He hoped after holding talks at Bkirki with the patriarch that the discussions would be a success, while highlighting “the importance of holding the elections on time in line with Lebanon’s constitutional requirements.”

The Central Security Council convened at the Serail of the northern city of Tripoli on Friday after the attack on Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami's convoy.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said Najib Miqati asked Interior Minister Marwan Charbel to chair the “emergency meeting to take the appropriate measures.”