Spotlight
French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton questioned on Monday the uproar created in Lebanon over Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s statements from France, saying that it is unfortunate that it caused division among the Lebanese political class.
He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati that the patriarch’s visit was a success and it granted him an opportunity to express himself.
Full StoryHundreds of activists and officials from across the globe gather in Beirut Monday with one aim in mind -- to rid the planet of cluster munitions which have killed or maimed tens of thousands of people worldwide.
The conference, which runs through Friday, joins representatives of 80 of the 100 or so countries that have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty which calls for the eradication of the deadly weapons.
Full StoryInterior Minister Marwan Charbel said on Monday that he will present a comprehensive proposal on the parliamentary elections electoral law, which was prepared by the Interior Ministry, during a meeting with the committee tasked with drafting the law.
“The committee is formed of party representatives and all the political movements,” Charbel told al-Joumhouria newspaper.
Full StoryThe security forces captured two inmates who escaped from Halba prison in Akkar, the National News Agency reported on Monday.
The two inmates were detained in a house in Minieh along with two other people who facilitated their break out of the prison.
Full StoryThe Gulf Cooperation Council’s ministerial council voiced its full support for Lebanon’s stability, unity, and security, reported the daily al-Liwaa on Monday.
It hoped during its meeting in Jeddah Sunday that Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government would succeed in achieving the stability that the Lebanese people aspire for.
Full StoryProgressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat expressed fear that the political disputes between the cabinet members might occur at every crossroads, especially with the imminent discussions of the administrative appointments.
He told As Safir newspaper on Monday that his position on the electricity project was merely technical and administrative, and not political.
Full StoryThe electricity drat law that was approved at cabinet last week has been referred to parliament on Monday, reported Voice of Lebanon radio.
Speaker Nabih Berri consequently called the various joint committees to convene on Thursday in order to discuss the law.
Full StoryMaronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi asserted on Sunday that the statements he made in France “were taken out of context and therefore they were misinterpreted,” reported the daily An Nahar on Monday.
He announced upon his return to Lebanon from his visit to France that his talks with French officials focused on reform in the Arab world.
Full StoryPrime Minister Najib Miqati on Sunday confirmed remarks attributed to him by a WikiLeaks document about describing Hizbullah as a “tumor,” but stressed that his words were taken out of context and that he had described the Shiite party as a “non-malignant tumor.”
“Everything published by WikiLeaks about me is true, but some remarks were taken out of context. I did describe Hizbullah as a ‘tumor,’ but I stressed that it is a ‘non-malignant tumor’,” Miqati said in an interview on Al-Jadeed television.
Full StoryMaronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi arrives in Beirut on Sunday at the end of an official visit to France, as his controversial positions on Syria weren’t positively received by French officials and were strongly criticized by the March 14-led opposition.
A high-ranking U.S. official expressed his astonishment and dissatisfaction with al-Rahi’s speech in France regarding the popular uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad and Hizbulla’s arms.
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