President Michel Suleiman applauded Monday the security measures taken in the northern city of Tripoli to control the situation following clashes that erupted between northern neighborhoods.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned Monday the deadly clashes that erupted this weekend in the northern city of Tripoli, calling on Lebanese leaderships to "show the spirit of responsibility in this troubled situation.”

In a statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry, Fabius condemned the violence that killed 15 and left dozens injured, praising the “perfect role practiced by the Lebanese Army and security forces, which should be the exclusive owner of weapons in Lebanon.”

Education Minister Hassan Diab stressed on Monday that child molesters at schools in Lebanon would face severe consequences after a teacher at a well-known Catholic school sexually abused 11 children over the past several months.

During a joint press conference with Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour and Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, Diab said: “Those who carry out such acts will face several consequences and there will be a clear mechanism to resolve these cases.”

The pro-regime Al-Watan daily accused the Saudi authorities on Monday of "plotting" against Syria, and also of turning Lebanon into a springboard for attacking the country.

The newspaper accused Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal of "sending arms to fighters and mercenaries they are financing in north Lebanon," where weekend clashes between pro- and anti-Damascus factions left 14 dead.

A cautious calm prevailed in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday as most businesses shot down in mourning following the death of 14 people in the fighting between two rival neighborhoods.

The National News Agency said that banks, the commerce and industry chamber in the North, and the municipality of Tripoli abided by the request of civil society organizations to close in mourning of the victims.

Unknown assailants kidnapped a 21-year-old Lebanese in eastern Lebanon and asked for a 2-million-dollar ransom in return for his release, the National News Agency reported Monday.

NNA said the kidnappers seized Hussam al-Besharrawi around 2:00 am while he was driving his Range Rover in Ras Baalbek.

A judicial committee is expected to meet on Monday to decide whether to allow security agencies to have access to the so-called telecommunications data for “urgent security reasons,” As Safir daily reported.

The newspaper said that the Army Intelligence, the General Security Department and the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch had asked for “all data,” which enables the tracking of telephone communications.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour confirmed on Monday that two Lebanese were among the dead in the plane crash in Nigeria’s largest city.

One of the victims, a contractor, is from the Awad family, Mansour told Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3).

The cabinet is expected to approve Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi’s proposal for the allocation of $100 million in a treasury loan to finance projects in the northern city of Tripoli, An Nahar daily reported Monday.

The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the issue would most probably be settled for being the first item on the agenda of the cabinet that is now scheduled to meet at Baabda Palace on Thursday under President Michel Suleiman to resume discussions on the 2012 draft state budget after it was postponed for one day.

A delegation from the Progressive Socialist Party and the National Struggle Front that are headed by MP Walid Jumblat will visit Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday to discuss with him the National Dialogue that is set to take place in Baabda next week, An Nahar daily reported.

The newspaper said the delegation’s expected visit to Ain el-Tineh comes against the backdrop of Jumblat’s announcement on Sunday that only dialogue can prevent a spillover of the Syrian crisis into Lebanon.