Personalities from the southern city of Sidon rejected on Friday Imam of Bilal bin Rabah mosque Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir’s open-ended sit-in that is demanding the elimination of the “hegemony of illegitimate arms.”

Mustaqbal bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora said after the meeting: “We oppose the blocking of roads because it allows others to create instability.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed belief on Friday that Lebanon has reached a better stage amid all the developments in the region, calling on the cabinet to control the security chaos in the country.

“The future of Lebanon seems better… Although the cabinet is leaving the country unrestrained,” Geagea said after meeting with a delegation from Beit Mallat town in Akkar.

The parliament is scheduled to tackle the recent decision by the joint parliamentary committees to permanently employee Electricite du Liban’s contract workers.

An Nahar newspaper reported that the parliament session on Monday will witness a heated debate over the issue as Change and Reform bloc MPs, led by MP Michel Aoun, prepared a constitutional challenge to contest the decision.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel vowed to carry out two to three days of security sweeps each week at the end of the one-month security plan that was launched on Wednesday.

In remarks to al-Mustaqbal daily published on Friday, Charbel said: “The security plan will remain intense throughout the month and after it we will carry out two or three security days per week as the need arises.”

President Michel Suleiman is scheduled to head to Paris in July to meet with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Friday, preparations are ongoing to set the official appointments during his visit to France.

President Michel Suleiman criticized Thursday the political support granted to security violators, pointing out that the leaders should influence rioters and not the contrary.

During a meeting with Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour, Suleiman said that politicians must shoulder their responsibility in saying the truth, adding that “they should be present at the tough times.”

The former chief of the main opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun visited Beirut during the past two days “on a secret visit”, revealed al-Jadeed television on Thursday.

It said that he held talks with a number of Lebanese officials away from the media spotlight.

United Nations Special Coordinator Derek Plumbly paid a visit on Thursday to southern Lebanon, where he praised the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.

He said: “The strong cooperation that exists between UNIFIL, the Lebanese army and the local population is key to its success.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Thursday that Hizbullah and AMAL Movement do not protect or support any person who violates the law, adding that the issue of Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir’s open-ended sit-in will be resolved soon.

“Hizbullah and AMAL are against blocking roads and their ministers emphasized that the two groups will not provide political cover for any person who violates the law,” Charbel told LBC.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed on Thursday the latest security instability in Lebanon, most notably the unrest in Beirut, saying that any action on the ground is aimed at “undermining the authority of the state.”

He said in a statement: “The street action was not conducted by undisciplined forces as some sides would lead the people to believe, but some powers are orchestrating the developments in order to create chaos, terrorize the people, and undermine the state’s authority.”