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Head of Labor Union on Labor Day: We’ll Take to the Streets if New Cabinet Doesn’t Include Reform Plan

Laborers in Lebanon celebrated Labor Day on Sunday through syndicate activity and statements warning of an escalation in their movement should their demands on living conditions continue to be unmet.

President Michel Suleiman congratulated them on the occasion, praising their “efforts and sacrifices for the sake of the nation.”

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Miqati Meets Nasrallah as Suleiman’s Visitors Stress that Salvation Cabinet Needs Syrian Green Light

President Michel Suleiman’s visitors have stated that the concerned sides in the government formation process “don’t have a real initiative to reach a solution” to the governmental vacuum.

The daily An Nahar reported them as saying that the salvation government proposed by Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel “needs a Syrian green light, which is currently unavailable.”

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Israel Sets up Cameras on Dividing Fence at Ghajar

Security sources in southern Lebanon reported that Israeli soldiers have set up surveillance cameras on the dividing fence between the villages of Ghajar and al-Abbassieh, said the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat Sunday.

Meanwhile, a number of other troops performed maintenance operations at the dividing fence at the border town of al-Adaisseh.

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Syrian Troops Redeploy at Northern Border as Number of Syrian Seeking Refuge in Lebanon Decreases

The number of Syrians seeking refuge in the Wadi Khaled region in Lebanon from the unrest in their country has diminished after the redeployment of Syrian border troops in the area adjacent to Lebanon, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday.

Hundreds of Syrian families flooded into the al-Buqayaa area last week following violence against anti-regime protestors in Syria.

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ISF Patrol Intercepted as it was Attempting to Thwart Construction Violation in Tyre

An internal security forces patrol was intercepted on Sunday as it was heading to the town of Aitet in the Tyre area in order to thwart a construction violation, reported the National News Agency on Sunday.

It said that a Renault Rapid car, without a license plate and with tinted windows, followed by 20 vehicles intercepted the patrol.

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Baroud Refrains from Being Reappointed as Minister

Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced on Saturday that he had informed President Michel Suleiman three months ago of his intention not to be reappointed as a minister.

He added: “I will not allow myself to stand as an obstacle in the government formation process as the media has been lately trying to demonstrate.”

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Experts: Syria Unrest Could Spill into Lebanon

Unrest in Syria could spread to neighboring Lebanon at any moment in light of charges by Damascus that the March 14 forces are backing anti-regime protesters, analysts say.

"Merely stating that Lebanese parties are interfering in Syrian affairs is equivalent to threatening to destabilize Lebanon, irrespective of whether charges of funding and arming the protesters are accurate," said Ghassan el-Ezzi, professor of political science at the Lebanese University.

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Grenade Shakes Tripoli, 2 Others Found in Hermel

A hand grenade shook the Boulevard area of the northern port city of Tripoli at dawn Saturday, causing no material damage, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said that the grenade was tossed by unknown assailants near al-Baba building at 2:00 am. The blast did not cause any injuries or material damage, it added.

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Suleiman Holds onto Interior Ministry Amid Sign that Appointments Are Among Cabinet Obstacles

President Michel Suleiman reportedly is still holding onto the interior ministry portfolio as part of his share in the new government but could agree that a personality other than Ziad Baroud heads the ministry, media reports said Saturday.

An Nahar daily said that Suleiman won’t give up the portfolio “at all” but might not hold onto Baroud who headed the ministry in Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri’s cabinet.

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Obama Extends National Emergency on Syria over Lebanon Meddling

U.S. President Barack Obama has extended the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Syrian government, saying that its support for Hizbullah and Hamas and meddling in Lebanon makes it a threat to national security.

Syria’s ongoing pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, support for anti-Israel groups and interference in Lebanon make it a "continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," said a White House statement.

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