The ring that kidnapped the seven Estonian men last month carried out its operation to demand a big ransom after thinking they were British or French tourists, judicial sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

The sources said in remarks published Thursday that the Estonians are still in the custody of their kidnappers – three Lebanese and one Syrian.

Amnesty International urged Lebanese authorities on Thursday to investigate the fate of thousands of people who disappeared during the 1975-1990 civil war and are believed dead or held in Syria.

The appeal came on the 36th anniversary of the outbreak of the sectarian bloodshed that left more than 150,000 people dead.

Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, has accused Hizbullah of joining the ranks of the rebels fighting against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.

Kaim claimed Wednesday that several members of Hizbullah are fighting alongside the rebels in Misrata, but did not provide evidence.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun will hold talks Wednesday night with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the regional situations and the cabinet formation issue, political sources quoted Damascus visitors as saying.

The sources told the Central News Agency that the two leaders' talks on the cabinet issue will tackle "the prospect put forward by premier-designate Najib Miqati which is based on constitutional principles and criterion in drafting any cabinet lineup."

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati called on Wednesday the political leaders to take bold steps towards bridging the gap between the Lebanese and present concessions for the country’s greater interests.

He said in a statement marking the 36th anniversary for the eruption of the Lebanese civil war: “This occasion should force us to overcome our current differences, work responsibly on fortifying the country, and tackle disputes through dialogue.”

The March 14 General Secretariat warned on Wednesday that the threat of the eruption of a civil war still stands given the possession of arms outside the state’s authority.

It said after its weekly meeting: “The war may have had several local and external causes, but it would not have happened had it not been for the possession of illegitimate arms among the Lebanese and the existence of several militias that claimed to be resisting Israel.”

Speaker Nabih Berri said during his weekly meeting with MPs on Wednesday that he was exerting all efforts to solve what he called the chaos of illegal construction on public property in the south.

Berri’s pledge came after As Safir daily published a report saying there were more than 500 illegal construction violations in southern Lebanon.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed on Wednesday the 15-year civil war for the current reality in Lebanon where “sectarian statelets and armed groups” have been established to serve internal and regional interests.

He said in a statement marking the 36th anniversary of the eruption of the Lebanese civil war: “The memory of the war should remain in the past and we hope that it will not be repeated.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said Wednesday that he would activate the dialogue between Bkirki and Hizbullah upon his return from the Vatican at the end of the week.

He told Radio Charity and Voice of Lebanon stations in an interview from Rome that he had asked the Hizbullah delegation that visited him in Bkirki on the occasion of his election last month to reactivate the committee.

France’s Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton discussed with Premier-designate Najib Miqati on Wednesday the latest developments on the new government formation process.

“Miqati is concerned about forming a balanced government,” Pietton said, telling reporters after the meeting that the administrative appointments require a “balanced and a widely represented government.”