Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour expressed optimism on Saturday that the upcoming days would hold positive news concerning the 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims abducted last month in Syria.

“The video aired by al-Jazeera television relieved us,” Mansour told Voice of Lebanon Radio (93.3).

Jordan's King Abdullah II expressed his condolences on Saturday to the family of “Dean of Journalists” Ghassan Tueni.

"We express our sincerest sympathies for this profound affliction,” the king said in a letter sent to the Tueni family.

Secretary General of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry Mohammed Ali al-Zahir denied on Saturday that his country decided to temporarily “postpone” and “cancel” any official visits to Lebanon.

“The recent reports are false,” Zahir told reporters after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

The funeral of “Dean of Journalists” Ghassan Tueni was held on Saturday amid a heavy official and media presence.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati eulogized Tueni, saying: “I am honored to stand before you as we say farewell.”

The Internal Security Forces issued an order on Saturday to ban motorcycles from the northern city of Tripoli.

The decision includes registered and illegal vehicles.

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stated that he understands how Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would send a representative to the national dialogue on Monday out of security fears, adding however he does not understand how others would want to follow suit, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.

He told the newspaper: “If Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea wants to send a representative for security reasons, then we will do the same.”

Al-Jazeera television broadcast on Saturday a video of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria on May 22.

They announced: “We are the guests of the Syrian rebels and we support the Syrian people.”

Condolences over the death of the “Dean of Journalists” in Lebanon Ghassan Tueni continued to pour in on Friday and Saturday with French President Francois Hollande expressing his “great” sorrow over his passing.

He said in a statement: “Despite all the tragedy that struck his family, he remained a free man who was committed to serving Lebanon.”

Negotiations over the release of the 11 kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims have achieved “great progress”, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Hizbullah circles told the daily that there are “very positive signs that they may be released within 48 hours.”

The head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora stressed on Saturday that the March 14 camp is committed to the memorandum that it handed to President Michel Suleiman on the national dialogue.

He announced in a press conference: “We will approach the dialogue with an open mind and weapons possession in Lebanon should be the only topic of discussion.”