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Al-Rahi Hopes that Officials Would Achieve Mutual Respect and End Cabinet Crisis

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday prayed that Lebanon comes out of its crisis and hoped that the relationship between officials would be based on mutual respect.

During a mass at the Harissa basilica, al-Rahi expressed hope that Lebanese officials would use their conscience to end the government formation impasse that is “paralyzing constitutional institutions” and drowning Lebanon in an economic crisis.

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Miqati Still ‘Patient’ Amid Suggestion of New Names to Lead Interior Ministry

Officials involved in the formation of the new government are mulling new names to head the interior ministry after President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun failed to agree on who would name the minister.

High-ranking March 8 sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday that some parties suggested naming Ghaleb Ghanem, the former head of the Higher Judicial Council, as interior minister given that he is Maronite and a neutral personality.

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Report: Assad Spared from EU Sanctions Over 7 Estonians

Estonia has pressured the European Union to hold off sanctioning Syrian President Bashar Assad “to protect” seven Estonian tourists who were kidnapped in eastern Lebanon in March, An Nahar daily reported Sunday.

The newspaper said that Estonia pressured its European partners over fears on the safety of the seven men who were last seen on March 23, when they went missing in the Bekaa Valley after entering Lebanon from Syria on a cycling trip.

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Saniora from U.S. Calls for Equipping Army, Dropping Excuse that Arms May Fall in Hizbullah’s Hands

Former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora demanded on Friday that the United States maintain its support to the Lebanese army by continuing on providing it with proper equipment.

He made his statements before a number of American officials at the end of his trip to the U.S.

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Higher Islamic Legal Council Questions Governmental Vacuum: We Should Respect Miqati’s Privileges

The Higher Islamic Legal Council questioned on Saturday the ongoing governmental vacuum in Lebanon, attributing it to the accumulation of “contradictory demands and conditions that violate national consensus and the constitution.”

It called in a statement, after a meeting headed by Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, for “committing to national principles that the Lebanese asserted in the Taif Accord.”

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Hunger Strike at Roumieh as Justice and Interior Ministry Delegation Listened to Inmates’ Demands

The Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that a delegation from the interior and justice ministries visited Roumieh prison in order to listen to the demands of inmates who had gone on hunger strike on Friday.

It said in a statement: “These demands included issuing a general pardon, speeding up trials, tackling prison overcrowding, improving the quality of food, and increasing the number of doctors at the jail.”

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Khalil Warns against Creating Chaos in Syria: We Demand Salvation Government

Speaker Nabih Berri’s adviser MP Ali Hassan Khalil said on Saturday that people’s trust in a state capable of tackling their interests should be restored.

“We demand the formation of a real salvation government… capable of holding national dialogue and setting a political agenda that reconnects the diverse national elements,” he added.

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Hizbullah and Syria Support Formation of Government ‘from Pre-Arab Revolution Era’

Lebanon may be faced with a number of challenges in the government formation process given the unrest in Syria, reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper.

Widely informed sources said that Hizbullah and Syrian want the formation of a government that belongs to the pre-Arab revolts era, which is being faced with opposition in some sides in Lebanon.

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Williams Meets Geagea: We Hope New Government Will Be Formed within Days to Protect the People

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams hoped on Saturday that the new Lebanese government would be formed within days in order to protect the people, given the changes and unrest in the Middle East.

He said after holding talks with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea that the Lebanese officials should exert efforts to provide the necessary atmosphere to form a new Cabinet.

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Strict Security Measures in Bekaa to Prevent Arms Smuggling to Syria

Lebanese authorities have adopted strict measures in the Bekaa region in order to confront the possible smuggling of weapons to Syria, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper on Saturday.

Concerned security sources said that owners of arms stores in the Bekaa have received direct orders from the intelligence directorate in the Lebanese army against selling arms to any individual without checking that they are Lebanese.

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