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Assad, Aoun Discuss Lebanese Situation, Efforts to Form New Govt

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and visiting Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun held talks Wednesday on the situation in Lebanon and the ongoing efforts to form a new Lebanese government, Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported.

Talks also tackled "the latest developments in the Arab and regional arenas," SANA said.

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Muallem: Lebanon’s Stability Lies in National Unity Government that Includes All Segments of Society

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated on Wednesday that the process of forming a national unity government in Lebanon has reached its final stage, stressing his country’s keenness on Lebanon achieving national unity.

He said before a delegation of Kuwaiti journalists: “Stability in Lebanon lies in a national unity government that includes all segments of the society, which is what Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati is aiming to achieve.”

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Harb: Should Suleiman and Miqati Form One-Sided Government then We Will Become the Opposition

Caretaker Labor Minister Butros Harb stated on Wednesday that the March 14 camp will become the opposition in Lebanon should President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati approve the formation of a one-sided government.

He told Tele Liban: “Should they choose against such a decision, then they should find a way to establish a national unity government.”

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Aoun from Syria: Time to Return to Our Roots, Get Out of Isolation

Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Wednesday said from Syria that it's time to return to “our roots and get out of isolation.”

“Our goal is to return to our environment, to our roots,” he told FPM supporters after taking part in a mass marking St. Maroun Day in Brad, Aleppo.

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Bishop Boulos Matar: Strong, Capable State Remains Sole Protector of Lebanon

Beirut Maronite Bishop Boulos Matar urged the Lebanese on Wednesday to consolidate the state because only a strong state is capable of protecting them.

In his sermon at St. Maroun church in Gemmayze, Matar said: “A strong, capable and just state remains the sole protector of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”

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Battle Over Cabinet Seats Heats Up

A battle is raging over key portfolios in the new government -- most notably the interior, defense and justice ministries.

An-Nahar newspaper on Wednesday quoted sources following up on the issue of Cabinet formation as saying that Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati is seeking to create a one-sided, 24-strong government after the March 14 coalition announced it will not participate.

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Egypt: Nasrallah Walking in Khamenei’s Footsteps

Egypt accused Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of “walking in the footsteps of his mentor,” Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

“They all want to ignite the region,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Husam Zaki told the Saudi al-Watan daily about Nasrallah and Khamenei.

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6 Years after Alleged Desertion, Wassef Hassoun’s Family Seeks to Clear his Name in Book and Movie Deal

More than six years after a U.S. Marine corporal was charged with desertion for allegedly faking his own kidnapping in Iraq, his family is once again making rumblings about clearing his name.

The effort, however, wouldn't play out in military court. Instead, the Utah family of Wassef Ali Hassoun contacted a Los Angeles publicist in search of a $1 million book and movie deal.

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Berri Says Things Heading in Right Direction, Expects Announcement of Cabinet this Week

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated that the government formation process was not facing obstacles and expected the cabinet line-up to be ready this week.

Berri told As Safir daily in comments published Wednesday that Premier-designate Najib Miqati would “form the cabinet this week after some parties refused to join the national salvation government.”

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With March 14 Out: A Hizbullah-Technocrats-Centrists Cabinet to be Announced Soon

Lebanon will soon have a government -- most likely to be made up of 24 ministers that include members of the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp as well as technocrats and centrists.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati met late Tuesday with President Michel Suleiman in hopes for a quick announcement of a Cabinet lineup.

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