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Miqati Criticizes Boycott of Dialogue Sessions

Former Prime Minister Najib Miqati said he urged President Michel Suleiman to bring back Lebanese leaders together at national dialogue sessions.

The sessions were in addition to discussing the defense strategy aimed at keeping contact between officials during crises, Miqati told As Safir newspaper.

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Gemayel: Suleiman Concerned Over Deadlock

Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel said that President Michel Suleiman has expressed concern over the political deadlock and the crippling of cabinet meetings and national dialogue sessions.

“President Suleiman is alone entitled to reveal the content of consultations” he is carrying out with Lebanese officials, Gemayel told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published Thursday.

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La Liberation: Indictment to be Based on Telecom as Evidence

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s indictment of Hizbullah members will be based on evidence unveiled by ISF Capt. Wissam Eid through his monitoring of the telecommunications network, the French daily La Liberation said.

“Members of a mysterious team were using their mobile phones to communicate with each other several weeks before” ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination, Eid reportedly discovered.

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London Urges Lebanese to Face Tribunal Challenges Wisely

Britain’s Foreign Office spokesperson Barry Marston said Lebanon’s stability is guaranteed by justice achieved in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination case.

In an interview published Thursday, Marston said Britain will continue to provide financial and moral support to the international tribunal.

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Hajjar: STL is a Main Concern for France

Mustaqbal MP Mohammad al-Hajjar stated on Wednesday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is a main concern for France, which is committed to Lebanon through rejecting any Israeli threat against it.

He stressed: "This support affirms that France will not take part in any settlement at the expense of Lebanon's stability and pursuit for justice."

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Mneimneh: Suleiman is Trying to Restore National Dialogue through his Meetings with Officials

Education Minister Hasan Mneimneh stated on Wednesday that halting the national dialogue negatively affected the country, adding that President Michel Suleiman's talks today with various political leaders are aimed at restoring the dialogue.

He revealed to OTV that a release date for the indictment in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has not been designated yet.

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Geagea: Only Solution to Crisis is for State Institutions to Function Properly

Geagea said Wednesday that France was mulling to make an initiative to solve the Lebanese crisis stressing however that the only possible settlement is for state institutions to function properly.

"Let the institutions function again," Geagea told reporters at his residence in Maarab.

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March 14: Obstruction of State Institutions Doesn’t Influence the Tribunal

The March 14 secretariat-general urged “obstructionists” on Wednesday to reverse their stance because they said that the obstruction of state institutions does not influence the international tribunal.

Obstruction “hits the state’s ability to bear its responsibilities at this delicate stage whether before or after the release of the indictment,” the secretariat-general said following its weekly meeting.

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Despite his Illness, King Abdullah Discussed with Assad about Lebanon

Saudi King Abdullah is in continuous contact with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the crisis in Lebanon, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday.

Although Abdullah is in the U.S. for treatment, he called Assad several times, the daily said.

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Sfeir: Current Situation Raises Concern

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Thursday expressed concern over the current situation in Lebanon and called on Lebanese to be vigilant.

In an interview with Voice of Lebanon, Sfeir said he hoped for a better situation in Lebanon.

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