Security reasons have been behind Speaker Nabih Berri’s absence from any public appearance, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Friday.

According to the daily, security agencies have been able to reveal new data regarding the assassination plot against Berri.

Hizbullah denied on Tuesday that it had anything to do with accusations that it was responsible for the assassination attempt against MP Butros Harb.

“The party, its officials and members had nothing to do with the so-called assassination attempt against MP Harb,” said a statement issued by Hizbullah's media relations department.

MP Butros Harb revealed on Sunday that President Michel Suleiman was behind the request to hand over the telecom data to the security agencies regarding the assassination attempt against Harb and the other assassinations.

“The cabinet didn’t voice its support to the president’s demand after incorrectly interpreting law 140,” Harb told An Nahar newspaper on Sunday.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed on Saturday the failure to deliver the telecommunications data to the investigations into the assassination attempts against March 14 leaders.

He said via Twitter: “This is simply unacceptable and requires that Lebanese authorities at the highest level take a stand on this critical national issue.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat supported the demand of the March 14 coalition for the government to provide the so-called telecom data to security agencies to prevent future plots against Lebanese politicians.

In remarks to As Safir daily published Friday, Jumblat justified the opposition’s demand to hand over all telecom data including the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) to security bodies by saying “they have witnessed assassination attempts and the involved (telecom) minister (Nicolas Sehnaoui) is obstructing the data.”

The March 14 opposition is set to take an “important” stance from the national dialogue that is set to be held at Baabda Palace next Wednesday, its third session since it resumed last month following a 19-month standstill, An Nahar daily reported.

The sources told the newspaper on Wednesday that the alliance can’t ignore the assassination attempts against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MP Butros Harb, and reports about plots on other March 14 personalities.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati shrugged off the criticism of the March 14 opposition coalition on the so-called telecom data, saying security apparatuses were satisfied with the data that were being handed over.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Thursday, Miqati said: “There isn’t any negligence and the security bodies are satisfied with the level of information that they are getting.”

The March 14 General Secretariat slammed on Wednesday the government’s competency, renewing its demand for its resignation.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The frequent protests and sit-ins are a sign of the government’s inability to tackle the people’s concerns.”

March 14 opposition MP Butros Harb denied on Tuesday that handing over security agencies a unique code used to identify an individual user on a GSM network known as IMSI would infringe on people’s liberties, a day after the government approved limited access to the so-called telecom data.

“It is unfortunate that there was a dispute” between the different members of the cabinet on the telecom data, Harb said during a press conference about differences during Monday’s government session on the telecom data.

The cabinet agreed on Monday to hand over the so-called telecom data to security agencies but only within a limited geographic location and after the approval of a three-member expert judicial committee.

The deal was reached after a heated debate between the March 8 coalition ministers of the Change and Reform bloc, Hizbullah and Amal, and the government’s centrists - President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati and ministers loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.