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Iran: Meddling in Lebanon’s Affairs Achieves Israel’s Goals

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said his country considers any political measures that lead to meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs as falling in Israel’s best interest.

“Interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs, creating sedition and shaking its unity achieve the Israeli interest in the region,” the spokesman said.

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Tribunal Hits Back at Hizbullah: Nasrallah’s Claims Intended to Discredit Cassese

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on Saturday intended to ruin the reputation of Special Tribunal for Lebanon President, Judge Antonio Cassese, by saying that he’s a “dear friend of Israel,” tribunal sources told An Nahar newspaper.

Nasrallah, during his televised speech Saturday night, cited a speaker at a security conference in Herzliya, Israel, as regretting Cassese’s non-attendance, as proof that the STL judge, was biased toward the Jewish state.

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Parliamentary Sessions Resume as Berri, Saniora Agree to Keep Things Calm

Premier Najib Miqati has hailed the statements made by lawmakers on the first day of parliamentary sessions to discuss the cabinet’s policy statement.

The statements were “part of the democratic game,” Miqati told As Safir daily published Wednesday, saying he would give the appropriate response to the comments made by MPs at the end of the three-day session.

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Suleiman Working on Resuming National Dialogue to Solve Controversial Issues

President Michel Suleiman has said it was inevitable for officials to resort to the national dialogue to solve the country’s political problems, As Safir daily reported Wednesday.

Suleiman’s visitors told the newspaper that the president said the politicians could discuss all controversial issues and find their appropriate solutions through the national dialogue.

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Israel Cuts Contact with Williams Over Nakba Day Report

The Israeli foreign ministry is cutting contacts with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams over a report that is highly critical of Israel, the daily Haaretz reported Wednesday.

It said the report of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which was written by Williams, concludes that Israeli soldiers used disproportionate force against Lebanese demonstrators on Nakba Day.

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Israel MI Chief: Iran, Hizbullah Are Aiding Syria over Fears of Losing their Partnership

Israel's military intelligence chief has said that Iran has exploited the recent unrest in the Middle East to deepen its influence throughout the region, accusing the Islamic Republic of actively intervening in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and beyond.

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi told Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday that Iran was involved in planning two violent confrontations with crowds that tried to breach Israel's frontiers with Lebanon and Syria in recent months. He also said Iran, along with Hizbullah, is providing assistance to the Syrian regime in suppressing mass protests against it.

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Turkey Extends UNIFIL Mission in Lebanon

Turkey's parliament has approved a government request to extend for one year the Turkish military mission with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

It was the fifth time that parliament extended the mission since it was first approved in September 2006.

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Nasrallah Says Accusing Hizbullah Members of Murdering Hariri a 'Futile Psychological War'

Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday said that accusing members of his party of assassinating former premier Rafik Hariri was a “futile psychological war.”

“Hizbullah is neither afraid nor worried, as some media outlets are trying to portray,” Nasrallah said in a speech transmitted via video-link to a ceremony organized by Hizbullah’s war wounded foundation.

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Saudi FM: STL Critics Had Voted in Favor of Its Creation

Saudi Arabia “calls on all parties in Lebanon to deal with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s indictment calmly and rationally, away from tensions, and to avoid any escalation,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Tuesday.

In a joint press conference with his British counterpart William Hague in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, al-Faisal urged the Lebanese to “work on fulfilling justice and to resort to reason,” hoping the release of the indictment will not affect stability in Lebanon.

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Hizbullah: Bellemare's Silence on Many Issues Shows Extent of STL's Credibility Corrosion

Hizbullah has hit back at Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, noting that “he did not tackle any of the presented evidence, as he was not able to refute any of the solid facts demonstrated by Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”

In a statement it issued Tuesday afternoon, the party put forward a “quick summary of Bellemare’s failures in clarifying the tribunal’s stance” on the issue of the so-called “false witnesses” and the file of witness Mohammed Zuheir Siddiq.

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