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Iran FM visit not expected to lead to presidential breakthrough

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s visit to Lebanon is not expected to lead to “any positive development that might persuade Hezbollah to give up (Suleiman) Franjieh’s nomination” in the next two months, political sources informed on the visit said.

Following their recent reconciliation agreement, Iran and Saudi Arabia will seek to “end the Yemeni war, lay out the basic foundations for resolving the Iraqi file and restore the Arab-Syrian relations,” the sources told the al-Anbaa news portal of the Progressive Socialist Party.

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Nasrallah meets Abdollahian

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met Friday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to discuss the latest developments in the region.

The talks stressed on the Iranian-Saudi agreement and its repercussions on the region, as well as the latest developments in Lebanon and Palestine, the National News Agency said.

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Opposition, Change MPs appeal against municipalities' term extension law

Kataeb, Tajaddod, and Change MPs filed Friday an appeal before the Constitutional Council against the recent law that extended the municipalities' term, a day after a delegation from the Lebanese Forces bloc appealed against the law.

Earlier this month, Parliament voted to extend the terms of local officials, paving the way to postpone municipal elections for up to a year for a second time.

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'I'd rather die': Syrians in Lebanon fear deportation

Samer and his family thought they had found safety in Lebanon after fleeing Syria's war nearly a decade ago, but amid growing anti-refugee sentiment, Beirut handed his brother to the Syrian army.

Syrians poured into Lebanon after civil war broke out in 2011, with Damascus's brutal suppression of peaceful protests. With the regime now back in control of most of the country, calls have intensified in crisis-hit Lebanon for Syrians to go home.

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Hoayek appears before European investigators in Salameh case

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s former assistant Marianne Hoayek appeared Thursday before a European investigators delegation at the Justice Palace in Beirut.

Salameh faces allegations of crimes including embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion in separate probes in Lebanon and Europe. His brother Raja and his associate Hoayek are accused of complicity.

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LF says consensus needed but won't endorse Hezbollah candidate

The Lebanese Forces on Thursday said that it knows that “the election of the president can only occur through consensus.”

“But Hezbollah is asking us to choose between its candidate and vacuum, and we will maintain our stance until they back down from their stance,” LF spokesman Charles Jabbour told al-Jadeed TV.

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Jumblat questions safety of Syrian refugees repatriation

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat asked which Arab or international side would secure a safe return to the Syrian refugees, and if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wants them back.

In an interview with MTV, Jumblat urged for the establishment of "decent camps" for the displaced Syrians in Lebanon.

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Mikati tasks Baissari with Syrian repatriation file

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday tasked acting General Security chief Brig. Gen. Elias Baissari with following up on the issue of returning the displaced Syrians to their country.

In the memo sent to Baissari, Mikati said that his decision is related to the ministerial meeting that was held on Wednesday, in which it was decided to take stricter measures in the file.

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FPM denies Franjieh claims about 'Bassil role in port deal'

The Free Patriotic Movement on Thursday stressed that its chief Jebran Bassil does not have “any role or link to the Beirut port deal,” denying accusations in this regard by Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh.

“How can this happen in a ministry and file that the FPM has nothing to do with at all, and accordingly what can be hoped from a presidential candidate who launches false accusations against his political rivals other than his reinforcement of the impunity policy?” the FPM said in a statement.

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Berri: France not denying support for Franjieh, awaiting Saudi response

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri considered that France was just softening its stance, when it said in a statement that it doesn't support any presidential candidate.

"The statement does not necessarily deny" France's support to Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh, Berri told al-Akhbar, in remarks published Thursday.

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