President Michel Suleiman said Thursday there are instructions not to deport any Syrian to his home country in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The instructions are not to deport any Syrian to Syria in conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Suleiman on twitter.
Full StoryFollowing the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, Libya kicked off an "undeclared" campaign to expel Lebanese citizens under the pretext of having ties with Hizbullah, al-Akhbar daily said Thursday.
Under claims of “relations with Hizbullah,” Lebanese are being expelled from Gulf countries mainly the United Arab Emirates, from the U.S., African and European countries and now Libya.
Full StoryInterior Minister Marwan Charbel reassured the Lebanese on Thursday that accusations by Bulgaria of Hizbullah's involvement in a deadly attack on Israeli tourists last year will not have repercussions on the country.
In remarks to the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah daily, Charbel said the claim that Hizbullah was involved in the bomb attack on a bus in Burgas airport in July 2012 “will not have repercussions on the government and the local scene.”
Full StoryEnergy Minister Jebran Bassil revealed on Thursday that the tenders that Lebanon will launch to explore offshore oil and gas will be of high significance.
“The tenders will be more important than those held in Israel and Cyprus as Lebanon will attract superior oil exploration companies,” Bassil said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.
Full StoryOpposition lawmaker Butros Harb revealed Thursday that President Michel Suleiman has expressed frustration over the general prosecutor's request to strip the MP of his parliamentary immunity.
In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Harb said: “The president is very upset by General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi's request and informed me that he did not know that he would take such a measure.”
Full StoryPrime Minister Najib Miqati shied away on Thursday from responding to criticism over the Lebanese government's failure to issue a statement on Bulgarian accusations of Hizbullah's involvement in a deadly attack on Israeli tourists last year.
Miqati told An Nahar newspaper that he issued on Tuesday a statement “setting Lebanon's” stance from Bulgaria's accusations as soon as Sofia blamed Hizbullah for the July 2012 attack on a bus that killed five Israeli tourists at Burgas airport.
Full StoryProgressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's ties with Saudi Arabia are expected to improve after the Druze leader announced on Thursday that he will head to Riyadh soon.
“I think positive news will be revealed concerning this matter soon,” Jumblat said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.
Full StoryThe Military Court has ordered the extradition of a Syrian officer-turned-rebel who entered Lebanon illegally back to his own embattled country, a judicial source told Agence France Presse on Wednesday.
The defector risks the death penalty for treason if he is actually handed over to the regime of President Bashar Assad, Lebanese human rights organizations warned.
Full StoryA Canadian suspect in last year's fatal bus bombing in Bulgaria was born in Lebanon and only lived in Canada for a few years as a child, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday.
"My understanding is he came to Canada as a child at the age of eight, obtained citizenship three or four years after that, and left Canada at the age of 12," Kenney said.
Full StoryThe European Union is unlikely to bow to U.S. pressure to brand Hizbullah a “terrorist organization” in the wake of EU member Bulgaria blaming the Lebanese group for an attack that killed five Israeli tourists, diplomats said Wednesday.
New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the EU to follow Washington's lead by designating Hizbullah as a terrorist group in a move that will notably lead to a crackdown on its fund-raising activities.
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