Syrian President Bashar Assad has appealed to the leaders of a five-nation economic forum to intervene to stop the violence in Syria and encourage dialogue in his country's two-year conflict.

Assad said Syria is being subjected to "acts of terrorism backed by Arab, regional and Western nations" — a reference to the Western-backed opposition fighting his regime.

The closing statement of the Doha Arab Summit called on Tuesday for providing support to the Lebanese military institution, urging also the adoption of the cabinet's plan for rescuing Syria's refugees.

“We reiterate our full support to Lebanon and to its cabinet and we pledge to preserve the country's security and stability,” the closing statement said.

President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday called on the Arab states to “share the burden” of hosting the Syrian refugees and urged them to seek the release of nine Lebanese pilgrims abducted by an armed group in the Syrian town of Aazaz.

“The number of Syrian refugees has surged and it is now equivalent to one quarter of Lebanon's population. Although the Lebanese state has decided not to close the border, the situations indicate that the security problems will increase and this requires a serious discussion in order to find a solution to this aggravating problem in a country based on delicate checks and balances,” Suleiman said in his address at the Arab Summit in Doha.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday announced that he will take part in national dialogue only if it will tackle the thorny issue of the electoral law.

“We want the electoral law to come first and we would discuss the government after that. The government is not as important as the constitutional junctures that have certain deadlines,” said Aoun after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc in Rabiyeh.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted on Monday that the March 8 camp's stint in government over the past two years demonstrated that it does not seek Lebanon's interests.

He therefore suggested during a press conference the formation of a technocrat government comprised of March 14 officials and centrists.

Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan announced on Sunday that his party will participate in the national dialogue sessions through which agreements over an electoral law and the formation of a new cabinet could be reached.

"(LF leader) Samir Geagea will personally participate at the dialogue session,” Adwan revealed in an interview on al-Jadeed television.

A rumor about the death of Syrian President Bashar Assad was massively shared on social media websites on Sunday, the French weekly magazine Le Point reported.

"News about Assad being shot dead by his Iranian bodyguard have not been confirmed yet,” the magazine said, revealing that the opposition's Free Syrian Army has denied such reports.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton voiced concern Saturday over the "deteriorating situation" in Lebanon following the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati the previous day.

A statement issued by her office said Ashton "expresses concern at the deteriorating situation in Lebanon" after Miqati's decision to step down.

Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad paid an unexpected visit to an educational center in the capital Damascus on Wednesday, the presidency said on its official Facebook page.

"President Assad made a surprise visit to the Educational Center for Fine Arts where the education ministry was honoring the families of students who were martyred as a result of terrorist acts, to honor the parents himself," the presidency wrote, alongside photos of Assad at the center.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun rejected on Tuesday any possible alternative to the Orthodox Gathering parliamentary electoral law, saying that the rights of Christians in Lebanon are being usurped.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “I was not informed of any of the discussions that were held in Rome.”