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Opposition Warns Cabinet against Handing Over Refugees to Syrian Regime

The March 14 forces warned the cabinet on Monday against handing over any Syrian refugees who entered the country to escape the Syrian regime’s crackdown against protests, the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Seyassah reported.

According to sources the opposition will take all the necessary measures on the issue and will hold the government responsible for the repercussions of such a decision on Lebanon.

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March 14 to Tackle Telecom Data Controversy at General Parliamentary Sessions

The March 14 forces MPs are expected to discuss the telecom data during the general parliamentary sessions set to assess the cabinet’s performance on April 17-19, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Monday.

According to the daily, Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui will be questioned about preventing the security authorities from obtaining the telecom data.

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Miqati Meets Jumblat, Keen on Avoiding Dispute with him ‘at All Costs’

Prime Minister Najib Miqati held talks last week away from the media spotlight with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, revealed the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Monday.

Ministerial sources said that the talks focused on the government deadlock over a number of issues, with the premier stressing that he will avoid a dispute with the MP “at all costs.”

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Report: Mortars Fired from Syria Hit Wadi Khaled Towns

Mortar rounds fired from the Syrian side of the border targeted a number of Lebanese towns in the vicinity of the al-Masharfeh area in the northern region of Wadi Khaled on Sunday evening, LBC television reported.

On Tuesday, Syrian troops staged a brief incursion into Lebanese territory amid fierce clashes with rebel forces, local official and residents said.

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Qaouq Says Hizbullah Keen on Govt. Survival despite Weak Performance

Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, deputy head of Hizbullah’s Executive Council, on Sunday said his party backs Premier Najib Miqati’s government out of “keenness on political stability and security in Lebanon and not because it is satisfied with its performance.”

The top Hizbullah official described the government’s performance as “slow, floundering and unconvincing.”

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Jumblat Says Support for Syria Uprising 'Doesn't Mean Change in Alliances'

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Sunday stressed that his support for the Syrian uprising does not imply a change in his domestic alliances, noting that his ministers will not resign from Premier Najib Miqati’s government.

“We stress the firm stances: we will stay in this government and we are with (Hizbullah’s) weapons in order to defend Lebanon in the face of Israel, but we reject the use of arms domestically,” Jumblat said during a meeting with his party’s cadres in the Mount Lebanon town of al-Khalwat.

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Report: Hizbullah Seeking to Improve Aoun’s Ties with Jumblat ahead of 2013 Elections

Hizbullah is seeking to improve ties between Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun ahead of the 2013 parliamentary elections, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

A prominent political source told the daily that Hizbullah wants to improve these ties out of a hope that they may forge an alliance and achieve a March 8 parliamentary majority in 2013.

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Vatican Confirms Pope’s Sept. Visit as Presidency Hails Trip

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Lebanon from September 14 to 16, the Vatican announced on Sunday.

The trip will mark the second to the region for Benedict, who visited Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories in 2009.

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Al-Rahi Confirms Pope’s Sept. Visit: We’re Cooperating with Suleiman to Ensure Lebanon’s Neutrality

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed on Sunday the need to distance Lebanon from regional axes.

He said during Easter sermon: “We are cooperating with President Michel Suleiman to ensure Lebanon’s neutrality so that it remains an oasis of peace, justice, and dialogue between cultures.”

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Suleiman Meets al-Rahi: I Hope We Won’t Return to 1960 Electoral Law

President Michel Suleiman credited on Sunday the Taif Accord for establishing the current political balance in Lebanon.

He said before reporters: “We live in a democratic country and we hope that we will not return to the 1960 parliamentary electoral law.”

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