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Berri says border deal draft meets Lebanese demands

Speaker Nabih Berri said Saturday that the draft final agreement submitted by U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein for sea border demarcation with Israel is positive and "in principle meets the Lebanese demands that refuse any impact for the sea agreement on the land border."

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Shea hands Hochstein’s proposal to Aoun, Mikati

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Saturday separately handed each of President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Najib Mikati a written proposal from U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein for the demarcation of Lebanon’s sea border with Israel.

The Presidency said Aoun called Speaker Nabih Berri and Mikati after receiving the proposal to consult with them over the issue in order to “give the U.S. mediator a Lebanese response as soon as possible.”

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Aoun on govt. formation: Some are maneuvering

President Michel Aoun has said that “it seems that things have not totally matured yet” regarding the formation of the new government.

“Some are maneuvering,” Aoun added, in an interview with the Annasher news portal published Friday.

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Bou Saab says Aoun may receive Hochstein's proposal within 24 hours

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab has said that he is hoping President Michel Aoun will receive within 24 hours a written proposal from U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein regarding the demarcation of the sea border with Israel.

“The proposal will be studied and if it meets the conditions it will be positive and will be capitalized on,” Bou Saab said in a TV interview.

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Change MP accuses opposition parties of torpedoing presidential vote agreement

MP Paula Yacoubian of the Change parliamentary bloc has accused the other opposition forces of “turning against the understanding” that both groupings were reportedly working on in a bid to agree on a single candidate for the presidential election.

“Is there a figure that is more sovereign than (ex-MP) Salah Honein? Why don’t they want to go to a reasonable and acceptable solution?” Yacoubian asked, in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published Friday.

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Abi Ramia: Mouawad doesn't meet FPM standards for new president

Consensus over a presidential candidate is “not possible until the moment” and MP Michel Mouawad does not meet the standards of the Free Patriotic Movement for new president, MP Simon Abi Ramia of the FPM said on Thursday, shortly after a first presidential vote session in which Mouawad emerged as the opposition camp’s leading candidate.

“The way the session went confirmed that no political camp is capable of electing a president without consensus with the other parties, due to the democratic and pluralistic system in Lebanon,” Abi Ramia said.

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Làzaro urges Lebanon and Israel to make 'constructive and expanded' use of Tripartite forum

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro on Thursday chaired a Tripartite meeting with senior officers of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israeli army at a U.N. position in Ras al-Naqoura.

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Aoun expresses relief after first round of presidential election

President Michel Aoun on Thursday followed up from his office on the details of the first presidential election round that was held in parliament, expressing “relief over the start of the electoral process in an atmosphere of democracy,” the Presidency said.

“Democracy has always characterized the Lebanese system over the years, although the sequence of events over the past years necessitates an evaluation of the general political performance in the country,” the Presidency added in a statement.

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MPs voice stances after parliament fails to elect president

Lebanese Forces deputy chief MP George Adwan announced Thursday that the first presidential election session proved that the ruling coalition is “in disarray,” after the Hezbollah-led camp refrained from voting for any of its two likely candidates, Suleiman Franjieh and Jebran Bassil, opting instead to cast blank votes.

“The opposition managed to propose a candidate in a first step to broaden support and unite the opposition, and the furthermost thing that the establishment managed to do was to cast blank votes,” Adwan said.

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Raad says blocs in 'early stages' of finding a president

Senior Hezbollah legislator Mohammed Raad said Thursday that the crisis-hit country's parliamentary blocs are in the "early stages" of finding a president who would "bring stability to the country."

"The blocs need to discuss and develop an understanding over a possible consensus candidate," Raad told the press, after parliament held a first presidential election session in which no candidate managed to win the 86 votes needed to win from the first round.

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