Syria's splintered opposition coalition insisted Saturday it would not go to peace talks in Geneva unless pressure was brought to bear on Damascus to abide by the outcome.

"We have always said that we are fully committed to Geneva. But we are worried that if we go there the Assad regime is not serious about the implementation of Geneva," said coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh.

Saudi Arabia has recorded two new cases of the MERS virus, the health ministry said on Saturday, a day after authorities in neighboring Qatar reported one new case.

Saudi Arabia accounts for a full 52 of 127 deaths worldwide from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) so far, while Qatar accounts for two.

The Ethiopian government is repatriating its citizens living in Saudi Arabia illegally, after reports that an Ethiopian was killed by Saudi police, officials said Saturday.

Last April, the Saudi government issued an amnesty period giving illegal immigrants seven months to gain legal status or leave the country.

President Michel Suleiman revealed on Saturday that he would meet with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri during his visit to Saudi Arabia early next week.

Suleiman, who travels to Riyadh on a one-day official visit on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with King Abdullah.

President Michel Suleiman said his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia next week would be beneficial for Lebanon and would consolidate relations between the two countries.

In remarks to al-Liwaa daily published on Friday, Suleiman stressed “the importance of having contacts with the Saudi leadership at this stage.”

Jordan is expected to take up a U.N. Security Council seat that Saudi Arabia won and then rejected, diplomats said Thursday.

Envoys said Jordan had been reluctant to take up the Asia-Pacific seat on the 15-nation council but had been persuaded by the Saudis.

Saudis have begun complaining of surging labor costs following the exodus of a million foreign workers, although economists insist there will be long-term planning benefits from fully regulating the market.

Professionals in the kingdom, both Saudi and expatriate, say the freelance tradesmen who used to queue for odd jobs in public squares have virtually disappeared since police patrols began the strict enforcement of tough labor laws this week, rounding up thousands of illegals for deportation.

President Michel Suleiman is expected to head to Saudi Arabia on Monday to hold talks with King Abdullah and senior officials

According to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday, the President will tackle with Saudi officials the latest developments locally, in Syria and the region, in addition to the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Saudi authorities beheaded a Pakistani man Wednesday in the eastern Qatif province after he was convicted of drug trafficking in the kingdom, the interior ministry announced.

Jaafar Ghulam Ali was "arrested as he was smuggling a large amount of heroin," said the ministry statement quoted by the official SPA news agency.

Baabda Palace has informed Kuwait that President Michel Suleiman would attend the Arab-African Summit this month, al-Joumhouria daily said Wednesday amid a report that his visit to Saudi Arabia is imminent.

Baabda sources told al-Joumhouria that during the summit, which will be held in Kuwait on November 19-20, Suleiman will call for the payment of funds that Arab countries had pledged during a donors' conference on Syria last January.