German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged all Lebanese parties on Friday to attend the national dialogue that President Michel Suleiman had called for, describing it a chance to promote consensus.

“The national dialogue in Lebanon is an opportunity to consolidate consensus and national unity,” Westerwelle said following talks with Premier Najib Miqati on the second and last day of his visit to Beirut.

The head of al-Rama border town municipality in the northern Wadi Khaled area of Akkar, Khaled Souaidan, was released after being detained by the Syrian intelligence, the National News Agency reported on Friday.

According to the news agency, Souaidan was released overnight after being arrested for two days in the neighboring country Syria.

A March 14 opposition delegation is expected on Saturday to deliver President Michel Suleiman a memo on its stance on the national dialogue that is set to be held at Baabda Palace next week, An Nahar daily reported on Friday.

Sources close to al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora told the newspaper that a parliamentary delegation will present Suleiman with the memo and later hold a press conference to announce its details.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat slammed on Friday the March 14-led oppositions’ stance over the national dialogue, stressing the importance of all-party talks to resolve all disputed issues.

“We have to resolve our disputes and reduce political tension,” Jumblat told An Nahar newspaper.

Premier Najib Miqati hoped on Friday that the cabinet’s ability to overcome the spending crisis would also materialize in the appointment of civil servants to different positions in state institutions.

During a session held under President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace on Thursday, the cabinet approved an urgent draft law to allocate LL10.394 billion in treasury bills to cover the expenses of institutions for 2012.

The dean of Lebanese journalists Ghassan Tueni, who is the honorary president and former chairman of the board of directors of An Nahar newspaper, passed away at dawn Friday. He was 86.

He had been hospitalized for the past three to four weeks.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Thursday held talks with top Lebanese leaders, stressing the need to “exert all efforts to prevent an importation of the Syrian conflict into Lebanon.”

The German diplomat called on the Lebanese political forces to shoulder their responsibilities in this regard.

The families of the 11 kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims blocked the airport road on Thursday in protest against the failure to achieve any progress in their release.

They have since reopened the road, threatening however that they may escalate their actions should their protest be unheeded.

France urged Syria on Thursday to “respect the Lebanese sovereignty,” after the clashes that erupted between Syrian soldiers and the residents of the Arsal Lebanese border town, French Foreign Ministry said.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bernard Valero said: “France condemns Syria’s recent violation of the Lebanese territory in the strongest terms.”

Three people were wounded on Thursday in a car accident involving Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s motorcade.

The accident took place on the Mestita road in Jbeil as the convoy was headed towards northern Lebanon.