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March 14 Warns Salam of Falling for Hizbullah's Extortion: Party Turned against Disassociation Policy

The March 14 General Secretariat accused Hizbullah of turning against the Taef accord and the policy of “mutual coexistence” in Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The party has completely turned against the Baabda Declaration.”

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Army Contains Dispute between Two Families in Bab al-Tabbaneh

The army intervened on Wednesday to contain an individual dispute, that soon spiraled into an armed clash, between two families in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the dispute erupted between men from Srour and others from Sharkas families.

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Syria Opposition Denounces Hizbullah 'Threats'

Syria's opposition on Wednesday denounced what it called "threats" from Hizbullah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and warned the party against any intervention by it or by Iran in the Syrian conflict.

"The Syrians and the Lebanese hoped... that the Hizbullah leadership would stop their attacks on Homs and Damascus and take into account the gravity of the situation in the region," the Syrian National Coalition said in a statement.

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Al-Rahi Stresses from Brazil Need to Form New Government

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized the delay in the formation of a new government, reported the National News Agency Wednesday.

He stressed the need to form a new cabinet because the “delay cannot persist longer than this.”

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Army Fires Rubber Bullets at Saboteurs Preventing Syrian Fuel Tankers from Entering Lebanon

Several men scuffled on Wednesday with the army as they tried to prevent Syrian tankers from entering Lebanon via al-Masnaa border crossing, media reports said.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), the army fired rubber bullets after it was pelted with stones by protesters.

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Miqati: Elections Cannot Possibly Be Held on Time

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed the importance of the parliamentary elections for Lebanon as a “symbol of democracy in the region,” reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Wednesday.

He told the daily: “Despite their importance, it would be impossible to hold them as scheduled on June 16 … but I do not think the delay will be too long.”

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Zasypkin Says Syria Free to Seek Hizbullah's Help, Lebanon Stability Priority

Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin said on Wednesday that the Syrian regime has the right to decide whether Hizbullah should aid it or not, pointing out that his country is at an equal distance from the rival March 8 and 14 coalitions.

“Stability and security in Lebanon are our priorities,” Zaspykin said in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper.

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Suleiman Rejects Granting Blocking Third to Any Side, Stresses Elections Will Be Held

President Michel Suleiman rejected on Wednesday granting the blocking third to any party, expressing reservations over the rejection of adopting rotational portfolios in the formation of cabinet.

“If the government included a blocking third it might reject the formation of a special committee in charge of overseeing the parliamentary elections and thus postpone further the polls,” Suleiman said in an interview with An Nahar newspaper.

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Report: Berri Suggests Adopting Jumblat's Electoral Law Based on 13 Districts

Speaker Nabih Berri continued on Tuesday his consultations with various political powers to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law, reported As Safir newspaper Wednesday.

It said that he held a meeting with Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat and Phalange MP Sami Gemayel to that end and during which he proposed a law based on 13 districts and the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems.

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Salam Briefs Suleiman on Cabinet Formation Consultations

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam held talks on Wednesday with President Michel Suleiman to brief him on the latest discussions concerning the formation of the cabinet.

Salam left the Baabda Palace without making any statement as media reports said that the meeting last half an hour.

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