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281 Cadets Complete U.S.-Sponsored Law Enforcement Training

A group of 281 cadets completed on Wednesday the U.S.-funded Basic Cadet Police Training Course and joined the ranks of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), a U.S. Embassy press release reported.

It said the graduating police cadets completed a ten-week, "state-of-the-art" training program taught by American and Lebanese instructors, focusing on "the latest policing and law enforcement skills and the application of these skills to specific law-enforcement situations."

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Israeli Equipment Used in Hariri’s Protection and PM's Office Denies Report

Security agencies protecting Prime Minister Saad Hariri are using advanced Israeli equipment that detects hostile forces several kilometers away, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

It quoted Israeli police as saying that the equipment functions in waves that are difficult to track and block.

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Ex-Iraqi MP: Tehran Ordered al-Maliki to Give Hizbullah Members Refuge in Iraq

Iraqi Premier-designate Nuri al-Maliki has received orders from Iran to give the Iraqi nationality to Hizbullah members and protect them against the indictment of the international tribunal, a former Iraqi lawmaker told the Saudi daily al-Watan.

Al-Maliki "received Iranian orders to give the Iraqi nationality to members of the Lebanese Hizbullah after formation of the new cabinet," the former MP said in remarks published on Wednesday.

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As Safir: Israel Could Invade Lebanon if Hizbullah Alters Balance of Power

Officials close to French President Nicolas Sarkozy are warning that Israel could invade Lebanon if Hizbullah alters the balance of power in Lebanon and targets the national unity cabinet, As Safir daily said.

An Arab diplomatic source in Paris also told As Safir that efforts to find a solution to the Lebanese crisis and contain the repercussions of the indictment that will be issued by the international tribunal would not succeed without Syria's interference.

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Berri, Hariri Offer Separate Solutions to False Witnesses' Issue, Await Response

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told the leading newspaper An-Nahar that the Opposition awaits response to its offer from Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

"We (Opposition) have proposed a purely Lebanon-made solution," Berri said in remarks published by An-Nahar on Wednesday.

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Report: Medvedev in Lebanon Next Month

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit Beirut next month, Central News Agency reported.

The agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Medvedev would visit the Lebanese capital in January in response to an invitation from President Michel Suleiman.

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440 Irish Troops to Deploy in Southern Lebanon Next Year

Ireland's cabinet gave the green light for the deployment of 440 Irish soldiers in south Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

The troops are expected to be deployed in the south in the second half of 2011.

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Cabinet Meets Wednesday on False Witnesses

The deeply divided national unity government is to meet on Wednesday after a month of wrangling over the controversial issue of alleged false witnesses who testified to U.N. investigators probing the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

Cabinet meeting comes as tensions soar over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is expected to issue an indictment implicating Hizbullah in the 2005 Beirut bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.

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Jumblat in Damascus on Private Visit

Druze leader Walid Jumblat will head to Damascus on a private visit Wednesday where he will meet Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nassif and Maj. Gen. Hikmat Shehabi, As-Safir newspaper reported.

It said Jumblat on Saturday will receive Iran's ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Rokn Abadi in Mukhtara.

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Saqr from Bkirki: We Won’t Trade Stability for Justice

Mustaqbal MP Oqab Saqr on Tuesday held talks with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

He described a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday as a “turning point.”

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