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Georges Abdallah's Supporters Dismantle Tent Outside French Mission

The supporters of leftist militant Georges Abdallah, jailed for nearly three decades in France, ended on Wednesday their sit-in outside the French embassy in Beirut to pave way for a ministerial committee to carry out its tasks.

The International Campaign to Free George Abdallah dismantled the tent it had erected outside the mission on January 14.

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Fletcher Meets Miqati, Hopes Political Factions Agree on Electoral Law to Hold Polls on Time

British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher welcomed on Wednesday efforts among various Lebanese political parties to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law.

He said: “I welcomed ongoing and constructive efforts to secure agreement on a new electoral law. But the clock is ticking - it is important that the constitutional timetable is respected.”

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Qahwaji in France to Boost Military Cooperation Between 2 Countries

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji traveled to Paris on Wednesday to appeal for military aid and discuss ways to improve cooperation between the two countries.

Qahwaji's official visit at the invitation of chief of staff Guillaud Edouard will include talks with top French military officials on measures to provide aid to the Lebanese army.

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U.S. Report: Iran, Hizbullah Threat Rising

Iran's elite Quds Force and Hizbullah are learning from a series of botched “terror attacks” over the past two years and pose a growing threat to the U.S. and other Western targets as well as Israel, a prominent counterterrorism expert says.

Operating both independently and together, the groups are escalating their activities around the world, fueling worries in the U.S. that they increasingly have the ability and the willingness to attack the U.S., according to a report by Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Studies.

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Parliamentary Subcommittee to Resume Discussions on Hybrid Electoral System

The joint parliamentary committees have extended the mission of an electoral subcommittee for 15 days to discuss starting Monday a hybrid draft-law that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems, MP Robert Ghanem said.

Ghanem's announcement came following a two-hour meeting that the joint committees held on Wednesday under Speaker Nabih Berri and in the absence of al-Mustaqbal movement, which has boycotted all government-related activity.

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Lebanon Asks for $370 Million Aid for Syrian Refugees at Donor Conference

President Michel Suleiman urged donors on Wednesday to provide Lebanon with $370 million assistance for refugees from Syria and called for countries to take in some of the displaced after ringing the alarm bell.

The government has approved a $370 million comprehensive plan for the refugees - $180 for Lebanese state institutions and $190 for international agencies, he told the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria held in Kuwait.

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Jumblat Shies Away from Revealing Alliances in Upcoming Polls

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday avoided revealing his alliances in the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying the polls were just a “transitional stage.”

In remarks to As Safir daily, Jumblat described his meeting with al-Mustaqbal movement chief and ex-PM Saad Hariri in Paris on Tuesday as “friendly, honest and important.”

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Hariri, Jumblat Stress Need to Preserve Taef ِAccord, Coexistence

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday held talks with former prime minister Saad Hariri at the latter's residence in the French capital Paris, Hariri's office announced.

The two leaders “discussed the regional situation in all its aspects and the challenges Lebanon is facing,” according to a statement issued by Hariri's office.

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Mustaqbal on Eve of Committees' Meeting Rules Out Orthodox Law, Postponing Elections

Al-Mustaqbal bloc restated on the eve of the joint parliamentary committees' meeting its total rejection of the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law, saying that it would promote extremism and isolation in the country.

"This law would transform Lebanon from a leading example of co-existence in the region to a land where sectarian communities are fighting over power,” the Mustaqbal lawmakers said in a statement after the bloc's weekly meeting on Tuesday.

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Aoun Urges Mustaqbal Bloc against Boycotting Joint Parliamentary Committees Meeting

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun hoped on Tuesday that the joint parliamentary committees meeting on Wednesday would succeed in its mission, saying that his ministers will not boycott any of its meetings.

He urged the Mustaqbal bloc against boycotting the meetings, asking: “Are you simply acting as Sunnis or shouldn't you act as lawmakers as well?”

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