Pre-trial Judge Daniel Fransen is mulling whether to make the entire indictment in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder case public or keep parts of it confidential, Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef has unveiled.
Youssef told MTV on Monday that Fransen is still thinking about the issue. He has till August 11 when the 30-day period given to Lebanon to serve out the arrest warrants against four Hizbullah members ends.
Full StoryHead of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, stressed Sunday “the Resistance’s readiness to perform its duty.”
“We’re not the side entitled to demarcate our territorial waters, the (Lebanese) State is rather the side entitled to do that, but should this maritime zone come under any threat, danger or attack from the Israeli enemy, the Resistance will be ready to perform its duty,” Raad vowed.
Full StoryHizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi warned Sunday that “ruling out (national) dialogue means seeking the other option, which is to transform disagreement into a conflict that may take various forms.”
“Lebanon’s pluralistic nature necessitates that dialogue be an ordinary and normal thing,” Moussawi added.
Full StoryRiyadh has informed Prime Minister Najib Miqati that he is not welcome in Saudi Arabia, revealed opposition sources to the daily Ad Diyar on Sunday.
They added that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat was charged with relaying this message to the premier.
Full StoryIt is unclear if the national dialogue agenda will strictly tackle Hizbullah’s possession of arms, informed sources told al-Mustaqbal daily in remarks published on Sunday.
They added that the agenda and the participants’ expectations have not been set yet.
Full StorySpecial Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare is scheduled to travel to New York next week where he is set to hold talks on the investigations in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri away from the media spotlight, reported the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Sunday.
Diplomatic sources revealed that the extension of his term in his post will be addressed, adding however that this does not mean that he is seeking to end his duties “as some would like.”
Full StoryPresident Michel Suleiman is mulling to invite Lebanese leaders to all-party talks at Baabda palace next month as presidential sources said that the dialogue table could witness radical changes.
The sources told As Safir daily published Saturday that some personalities would be left out while the dialogue would witness new faces.
Full StoryProgressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has unveiled that he held a telephone conversation with former Premier Saad Hariri thanking him for his latest stance on Jumblat.
The Druze leader told An Nahar daily published Friday that he heard “moving words” from Hariri but refused to give further details.
Full StoryPolitical upheaval in Syria, hit by months of opposition protests, is weighing heavily on neighboring Lebanon where it risks sparking inter-religious clashes, U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams warned Thursday.
"There is a great worry in Lebanon about this," said Williams, who raised the potential for "confessional clashes in Lebanon."
Full StoryLoyalty to Resistance bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah on Thursday said that Hizbullah was willing to engage in a national dialogue “on the basis of building a defense strategy for Lebanon, but not on the basis of dialogue over the Resistance and its weapons.”
“Because we don’t believe there’s a dialogue topic called weapons or the Resistance,” Fadlallah added, stressing Hizbullah’s keenness on “rapprochement, cooperation and understanding” among the Lebanese.
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