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UNIFIL: Israeli Pullout from Ghajar is Nonnegotiable

UNIFIL spokesperson Neeraj Singh said Tuesday that the Israeli withdrawal from the northern part of the occupied border village of Ghajar is a nonnegotiable condition.

“It is imperative that the Israeli army withdraws from the area. This issue is nonnegotiable,” Singh told the state-run National News Agency.

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Syrian-Saudi Initiative Garnering More Support

The Syrian-Saudi initiative aimed at finding a solution to the Lebanese crisis is garnering more regional and international support, An Nahar daily reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said such support contributes to a solution that “ends the political and constitutional paralysis” that has struck the country.

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Larijani: Tribunal, Indictment Are Aimed at Striking Lebanese Stability

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Monday that the international tribunal and the indictment in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder case were American projects aimed at striking stability in Lebanon.

Following talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Larijani said Lebanese political parties were capable of solving their problems without foreign assistance.

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Sarkozy Meets Hariri in Latest Effort to Support Lebanese Sovereignty and Justice

Prime Minister Saad Hariri kicks off a three-day official visit to Paris on Tuesday in what is seen as the most significant step in international efforts aimed at stirring Lebanon away from its crisis.

“The French leadership will inform PM Hariri that it stands by him and his government,” French diplomatic sources told al-Mustaqbal newspaper.

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Gemayel from Bkirki: We Understand Fear of the Indictment but We Must Remember the Martyrs

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stressed on Monday the importance of dialogue and fortifying Lebanon against any political and security repercussions caused by the indictment.

He said after holding talks with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki: "We hope that Arab and international efforts would help the Lebanese overcome their ordeal and we understand some fears over the indictment, but we must remember the martyrs."

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Jumblat Wants Settlement before Indictment

Druze leader Walid Jumblat said he wants a settlement to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon before an indictment is issued.

He told As-Safir newspaper in remarks published Monday that he supports Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's comments which stated that a solution is necessary before the STL issues an indictment in the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

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Berri: CBC Report an Attempt to Expedite Indictment

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri believed that a CBC report implicating Hizbullah in the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri was an attempt to “put pressure to expedite an indictment” by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Berri, in remarks published Thursday by As-Safir newspaper, said he believed that “repetitive leaks … aimed to push toward a speedy indictment.”

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March 14 Urges Lebanese to Stay Clear of Leaked Information that Harms Justice

The March 14 general-secretariat on Wednesday urged Lebanese politicians and journalists to stay clear of leaked information that puts into doubt the course of justice in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination case.

In a statement released following its weekly meeting, the general-secretariat said: “We urge everyone, particularly politicians and journalists, to stay clear of leaked (information) and different scenarios that aim at doubting the course of justice.”

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Zahra Says March 14 Not Willing to Negotiate on STL, Taef Accord

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra stressed Wednesday that "nobody is waiting" for a settlement regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "which has become in the hands of the international community and away from narrow political bickering."

In an interview with Voice of Lebanon Radio, Zahra explained that "peaceful resistance is in the adherence to the Constitution, laws and state institutions," adding that the other camp knows that it will not achieve any gains through "the use of force."

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Aoun: I Don't Reject STL's Authority, But False Witnesses Tried to Change Probe's Course

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has reiterated that he does not reject the authority of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, noting that he was "one of the first people to call for the setting up of the STL."

However, Aoun said that "a bunch of false witnesses tried to change the probe's course."

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