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Miqati Urges Preservation of Coexistence, Warns Against Favoring Sectarian Interests

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati called on Tuesday for the preservation of Lebanon's unique state of coexistence through stances that are based on national unity.

“Lebanon represents a national willingness for coexistence which multiplies our responsibility in preserving this unique formula of Islamic-Christian Brotherhood,” said Miqati after he was invited to attend the first Conference for the Christians of the Orient.

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Suleiman: Disassociation Policy is a Source of Pride, No One Has Right to Criticize it

President Michel Suleiman stressed on Tuesday the importance of the Baabda Declaration that calls for Lebanon to distance itself from regional developments, saying that it has helped safeguard the country from the unrest.

He said: “The policy of disassociation is a source of pride and no one has the right to criticize it.”

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Elias Murr Appointed Head of INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World

Former deputy Prime Minister and ex-Minister Elias Murr has been appointed the head of the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World for a seven-year term.

The appointment was made unanimously by INTERPOL's Executive Committee ahead of the organization's 82nd General Assembly held in Colombia.

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Ongoing Row over Constitutionality of Parliamentary Session

Discussions over a two-day parliamentary session reached a dead-end on Tuesday amid a sharp row over its constitutionality as al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc insisted on boycotting it if Speaker Nabih Berri failed to modify its agenda.

Head of al-Mustaqbal Parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora told reporters after talks with Berri, on the sidelines of a session set to elect the parliament's bureau committee members and the parliamentary committees members, that Wednesday's session is “unconstitutional.”

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Ibrahim Promises to Resolve Case of Hundreds of Lebanese Missing in Syria

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has revealed that he would seek to reopen the file of Lebanese held in Syrian jails and resolve the case of the two bishops kidnapped in Syria.

In remarks to As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday, Ibrahim said that he had promised Lebanese political and religious officials to seek the release of Bishops Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, who were kidnapped in Syria at the end of April.

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At Least Two Wounded as Clashes Renew in Bab al-Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen

At least two people were wounded Monday evening as clashes renewed between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh in Tripoli.

“Sniper gunfire erupted between the Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh areas and a hand grenade was hurled on Syria Street,” which separates the two districts, state-run National News Agency reported.

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Pilgrims Abductors Deny Receiving Ransom, Say Regime Freed No Women Detainees

A Syrian rebel group said Monday that Damascus had failed to free dozens of female detainees who were supposed to have been released from regime jails as part of a weekend hostage exchange involving the nine Lebanese pilgrims and two Turkish pilots.

The Northern Storm brigade, based in the north of Syria, had expected the prisoners' release after they freed the Lebanese men they had kidnapped 17 months ago.

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Phalange Party Says Crises' Solutions Must Be Drawn from Constitution

The Phalange party on Monday urged national leaders to “get liberated” from their political stances and form a new cabinet to deal with the pending crises in the country.

"The country cannot handle more stalling and procrastination,” the party's political bureau said in a released statement after its weekly meeting.

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Rockets Fired from Syria Hit Bekaa's Hermel, al-Qaa

Four rockets struck the Bekaa city of Hermel on Monday after they were fired from Syrian territory, Agence France Presse quoted a security source as saying.

"Four rockets launched from inside Syrian territory hit separate areas of the town of Hermel," which lies some 10 kilometers from the border with Syria, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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Report: Turkey Agents Rescued Pilgrims Held in Syria

Turkish special agents launched a covert operation in Syria to rescue the pilgrims held hostage for 17 months who were then swapped for two kidnapped Turkish pilots, a newspaper reported Monday.

A team from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) carried out a "movie-like operation" on Syrian soil to save the pilgrims who were caught in fighting between al-Qaida fighters and rebels, the pro-government Sabah reported.

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