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Paris Hails Kuwaiti Initiative towards Lebanon

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Tuesday that Paris “lauds the Kuwaiti mediation for allowing Lebanon to overcome its crisis.”

“We stressed that we will continue to closely work for the sake of peace and security in the region,” La Drian added in Kuwait, following talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed al-Nasser Al-Sabah.

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Miqati Says Won't Resign before Elections, Urges Govt.-Parliament Full Cooperation

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed Tuesday that the government will not resign before the parliamentary elections.

"One of the government's tasks today is to hold parliamentary elections, and my resignation might be a reason for disrupting the polls," Miqati said.

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Raad Says Rivals Want to Win Elections to 'Normalize with Israel'

The head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, claimed Tuesday that political rivals want to win the parliamentary majority “in order to secure laws that would allow them to normalize relations with the Israeli enemy.”

“All parties want to keep us away from the parliamentary action arena in order to implement their agendas,” Raad added, at a political rally in the southern town of Yohmor.

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Capital Control Dilemma in Cabinet Tomorrow

The capital control law will be discussed tomorrow, Wednesday, in Cabinet, as it was rejected in a joint parliamentary committees' meeting on Monday.

"It will be discussed in Cabinet, passed and referred to Parliament," PM Nicolas Nahhas said.

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Bou Habib Says Return of KSA, Kuwait Envoys Not Officially Confirmed

Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has noted that the latest improvement in the Lebanese-Gulf ties had started with the Kuwaiti paper that had been submitted to Lebanon.

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Berri Rejects Miqati Proposal for Turning Legislative Session into Confidence Session

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday rejected a suggestion from Prime Minister Najib Miqati for turning an ongoing legislative session into a general discussion session that would involve a vote of confidence over the government’s policies.

“This is a legislative session and I have not received a request,” Berri told Miqati, who responded by saying that “the issue is being raised through the media.”

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Prosecution Reverses Judge Aoun's Bank Transfers Order

The public prosecution on Monday reversed an order issued by Mt. Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun that had barred six Lebanese banks from transferring and shipping money out of the country, LBCI TV said.

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EU States Freeze $130 Million Worth of Lebanese Assets

Authorities in three European countries have frozen more than $130 million in assets linked to an investigation into money laundering in Lebanon, a European Union agency said Monday.

The measures taken by officials in France, Germany and Luxembourg come as Lebanon grapples with a devastating economic crisis and coincide with domestic and European investigations of its longtime central bank governor, Riad Salameh. The crisis, which started in October 2019, is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement and has continued with no serious steps by the country's political class to work for a solution.

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BDL Memo Allows Public Sector Workers to Withdraw Salary Unrestrictedly from Banks

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh issued Monday a decree that allows public sector workers to withdraw their entire salaries from the banks, with no restrictions.

The statement said that all banks must secure the needed liquidity to allow public sector workers to withdraw their entire monthly salaries, additional compensations, social assistance, and payments from their solidarity funds.

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Raja Salameh's Lawyer Files Release Request

The lawyer of Raja Salameh -- the detained brother of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh – filed Monday a request for the release of his client.

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