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Aoun: After Dialogue Statement, Govt. Must Control Security in North, Bekaa

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday called on the government to address the situation in the Bekaa and the North and to “take control of security” there, following the “Baabda Declaration” agreed by the members of the national dialogue committee on Monday.

“We announced that the outcome of dialogue was positive given that everyone agreed on that and we hope everyone will abide by its resolutions,” Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh.

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STL Publishes Key Details about June 13-14 Jurisdiction Hearing

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Tuesday released a media advisory reminding that its Trial Chamber will hold sessions on June 13 and 14 to hear arguments from the Prosecution, the defense counsel and the legal representatives of victims on the tribunal’s jurisdiction and the legality of its creation.

Below is the full text of the media advisory:

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By-Election to Replace Late MP Farid Habib Set for July

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel set July 15 as the date for the by-election to replace late MP Farid Habib.

The election will take place in the Koura district to fill the vacant Greek Orthodox seat in parliament.

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Plumbly Calls for Long-Term Steps to Resolve Proliferation of Arms

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly said Tuesday the use of arms in highly populated areas needs to be resolved through long term steps to prevent recurrence of violence.

Following talks with Mufti of Tripoli Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, Plumbly said: “The presence and use of arms in civilian and highly populated areas is of particular concern and needs to be resolved.”

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Miqati Meets Qahwaji, Ghosn: We Are Keen on Morally and Financially Supporting the Army

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said on Tuesday that the national security institutions are the backbone for “the strong and capable state,” adding that no one can lure Lebanon away from its decision to distance itself from the developments in Syria.

He stressed the need to “morally and financially support the army seeing as it guarantees civil peace and embodies national unity.”

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UAE Renews Advice to Citizens to Avoid Travel to Lebanon

The United Arab Emirates has renewed its call on its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon and Syria over the security situation in the two countries despite a visit by President Michel Suleiman to Abu Dhabi to review the decision.

In a statement released on Monday, the UAE foreign ministry advised citizens not to travel to Lebanon and Syria out of its keenness on the safety of the nationals abroad.

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Mansour Says Lebanese Diplomat in Libya Following up Arrest of Interpreter

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said the Lebanese charge d’affaires in Libya was tasked with following up the arrest of Lebanese interpreter Helene Assaf along with three envoys from the International Criminal Court.

The charge d’affaires will provide us with the latest developments on the case, Mansour told MTV after a judicial source said on Monday that Libyan authorities put the four envoys in "preventive" detention in prison for 45 days while investigating an alleged threat to national security.

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Syrian Opposition Leader: Uproar over Kidnapping of Pilgrims Increased Demand for Ransom

The tumult following the kidnapping of 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria last month pushed the abductors to raise their ransom from $300,000 to $4 million, a Syrian opposition leader based in Paris said.

The leader, who refused to be identified, told As Safir daily published on Tuesday that the kidnappers first asked Hizbullah and the families of the 11 men for a $300,000 ransom.

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Suleiman, Hariri, Aridi, Asiri Deny LBC Report on their Meeting in Saudi Arabia

President Michel Suleiman, former Premier Saad Hariri, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi al-Aridi, and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri denied LBC’s report on Monday on their meeting with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh held earlier in June, reported al-Mustaqbal daily on Tuesday.

Suleiman adamantly denied to the daily the report, wondering: “I know what I have said … Is it possible for the president of Lebanon to request Saudi mediation with Israel on any matter?”

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Jumblat Reportedly Admitted to Conspiring with Syria, Iran Against Hariri

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has admitted that he conspired with Syria and Iran against a Qatari-Turkish initiative, forcing the collapse of ex-Premier Saad Hariri’s government in early 2011, media reports said Tuesday.

“I carried out the coup along with Premier (Najib) Miqati,” Jumblat told 16 leaders meeting at Baabda palace under President Michel Suleiman at the national dialogue session. “We conspired with Syria and Iran against the Qatari-Turkish initiative.”

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