Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil lashed out at critics, saying that his meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem in New York was held according to norms.

“The meeting was supposed to happen and it did,” Bassil told reporters in France.

A high-ranking military delegation kicked off a visit to Moscow to discuss with Russian officials the needs of the army and security forces, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The talks between the Lebanese army officials and their Russian counterparts is expected to pave way for a deal with Rosoboronexport, the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related products, the daily said.

The Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek al-Shaar revealed on Wednesday that preparations are underway to hold a Christian-Islamic conference in the northern city of Tripoli.

He pointed out that contacts are underway to prepare for the conference that will include prominent religious and political figures in the city.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called on Wednesday for a swift exchange between the Arsal captives and Roumieh prison Islamist inmates, holding former Internal Security Forces personnel responsible for the “self-rule” at the facility.

“The government and crisis cell should follow up any exchange process with the kidnappers,” Jumblat said in an interview with An Nahar newspaper.

Parliament failed to discuss on Wednesday the wage hike draft-law after Speaker Nabih Berri sent back the bill to the joint parliamentary committees for discussion over differences on the raise.

Berri had earlier warned that he would withdraw the draft-law from the agenda of the parliamentary session if certain parties continued to oppose the bill.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stated on Wednesday that negotiations to free the abducted soldiers in Arsal have started to take the right course, as General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said that “the file is on the right track.”

“Negotiations with the kidnappers have started to take effect,” Salam said following a parliamentary session and in remarks published in As Safir daily, primarily after the release of a soldier who was kidnapped two weeks ago.

The brother of a Lebanese journalist, who was kidnapped last week in the eastern Bekaa Valley, was released overnight after the mediation of General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.

The abductors of Khodr Farouq Darwish, whose car was found in Baalbek's al-Taybeh last Friday, had called his family and asked for a $135,000 ransom.

A Lebanese soldier kidnapped two weeks ago by jihadists near the Syrian border was freed late Tuesday and handed to General Security officers.

First Adjutant Kamal al-Hujeiri had been visiting his family when he was kidnapped from his parents' farm in the Wadi Hmeid area on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal in mid-September.

A man arrested Thursday on charges of forming a terrorist cell in the northern city of Tripoli has been referred to the relevant judicial authorities, the army announced on Tuesday.

“The Intelligence Directorate referred to the competent judicial authorities the detainee Mohammed al-Ayyoubi, who had been arrested on September 25, 2014 on charges of forming a terrorist cell in Tripoli,” the Army Command said in a communique.

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc reiterated on Tuesday its support for “necessary legislation” to tackle pending affairs at parliament, noting that it is the “sound” choice given the ongoing vacuum in the presidency.

It said after its weekly meeting: “We hope that necessary legislation will motivate those obstructing the presidential elections to stage the polls as soon as possible.”