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Berri Holds Onto Parliamentary Session, Rejects Compromises over Constitution

Speaker Nabih Berri is holding onto his right to call for a parliamentary session and to the agenda that was set by the parliament's bureau, saying there is no “compromise when its related to the constitution.”

“The AMAL movement already objects 15 articles included on the agenda of the session,” Berri said in comments published in As Safir newspaper on Monday.

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Saad: March 14 Came to Sidon to Incite against Army, Their Statement Didn't Call for Holding Asir Accountable

Popular Nasserite Organization chief ex-MP Osama Saad on Sunday said that the meeting held by the March 14 forces in Sidon earlier in the day was aimed at “inciting against the military institution,” saying March 14 had not criticized the practices of Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir in the past, prior to his ouster from the city through a military operation.

Saad described as “beautiful words” the content of the meeting's closing statement regarding “coexistence, civil peace, human dignity, the rejection of extremism and the just state.”

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Gunfire Erupts near Minister Hajj Hasan's Baalbek Residence

A shooting broke out on Sunday near the residence of caretaker Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan in Baalbek reportedly over family disputes that the Hizbullah minister has nothing to do with.

“A dispute between the head of al-Khodor Municipality and members of the Hajj Hasan family erupted into gunfire on the public road in the Baalbek area of Hawsh al-Nabi, where the residence of Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan is located,” MTV said.

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Al-Rahi Condemns Political Acts that Worsen Differences among Lebanese

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday criticized politicians for covering up the crimes committed by the force of arms, and for deepening divisions among the Lebanese.

During his sermon in his summer seat of Diman, al-Rahi said: “The political acts that cause and worsen differences and divisions are unacceptable.”

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Saniora Rejects Attacks on Army but Criticizes its Militia-Like Role

Al-Mustaqbal bloc chief MP Fouad Saniora on Sunday rejected assaults on the army but also refused what he said were some militia-like acts committed by soldiers two weeks ago in their battle with Salafists in the southern city of Sidon.

“Whoever committed a crime against the army should be held accountable,” Saniora said in a speech ahead of a large-scale meeting held by March 14 officials at the residence of Sidon MP Bahia Hariri.

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3 Injured in Hermel Roadside Bombings

Two roadside bombs exploded at the entrance of the northeastern town of Hermel on Sunday, injuring three people, including two soldiers, the army and the state-run National News Agency said.

They said that the first bomb targeted a Honda CRV, damaging the vehicle and injuring its driver Iman Nasereddine, who hails from the town of al-Ain.

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March 14 Calls for Arms-Free Sidon, Says 'Statelet' Cause of Violence

The March 14 alliance called on Sunday for announcing Sidon an arms-free city, saying the presence of an “illegitimate statelet” was the reason behind the violence in the southern city.

Following a large-scale meeting held by around 170 politicians, academics and journalists at MP Bahia Hariri's residence in Majdalyoun, the alliance said in a statement read by former lawmaker Fares Soaid that Sidon's and Lebanon's wounds were “still bleeding.”

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Berri Says he Reached Deal with Miqati on Controversial Session

Speaker Nabih Berri has rejected throwing the ball in his court over the crisis on the constitutionality of a parliamentary session, saying he had reached an agreement with caretaker Premier Najib Miqati to resolve the problem.

In remarks to An Nahar newspaper published Sunday, Berri said it was wrong to throw the ball in his court after reports emerged that President Michel Suleiman and Miqati had reached a deal and were waiting for his approval.

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HIC's Mesqawi Calls for Disarming 'Chaos-Created Organizations'

Deputy head of the Higher Islamic Council Omar Mesqawi stated on Saturday that disarming the country's organizations “is the only way to get out of the current political situation in Lebanon.”

“Getting out of the current political situation can only be achieved through disarming factions and organizations that possess illegal weapons and that were created in the midst of chaos,” Mesqawi said after an extraordinary meeting of the HIC held in the southern city of Sidon, following June's clashes between armed supporters of Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir and the military institution.

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Army Arrests Soldiers for 'Beating, Insulting' Asir-Linked Detainee

The Army Command announced on Saturday detaining several soldiers for attacking an arrested man involved in last June's clashes against the military institution in the southern city of Sidon.

"After viewing a video spread online that shows a number of soldiers beating and insulting a detainee, the military institution has arrested several troops involved in the incident,” the Army Command's Orientation Directorate said in a communique.

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