Lebanon
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Abductees Families Block Airport Road, Threaten Escalation

Relatives of 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims abducted in Syria blocked Tuesday the airport road for around an hour, with some protesters describing the move as a “first warning” to Lebanese authorities.

Some of the protesters sat down in the middle of the street while no burning of tires was reported. Al-Jadeed television quoted protesters as saying that “the airport road will be totally blocked on Wednesday and Thursday as a first warning.”

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Aoun Slams 'Impotent' Govt., Announces Initiative to Bridge Differences

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun announced Tuesday that he has proposed an initiative to address the security, economic and political disputes, pointing out that there is no need for the government to stay “if it is impotent.”

After the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc in Rabiyeh, Aoun said: “Of course there are certain ways to address the security, economic and political issues, and we have launched an initiative that is being studied by the parties concerned, and I believe it will yield results.”

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Syrian Forces Arrest Lebanese Khaled Moussa in Wadi Khaled

Syrian forces arrested Tuesday, Lebanese citizen Khaled Mousa (32 years) in the northeastern border town of Wadi Khaled, for unclear reasons.

The National News Agency reported that Syrian border guards detained the man from his residence beside the Great River in the northern town of Wadi Khaled.

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Shaar Meets Miqati, Seeks to Fortify Stability in Tripoli

Tripoli and the North Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar urged on Tuesday the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen to reconcile and resolve disputes among each other.

“The two sides should cooperate and find consensus in an attempt to remove all the obstacles between the two neighbors,” Shaar said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

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Officials Exert Efforts to Resolve 2012 State Budget Crisis

Division among cabinet members regarding the 2012 state budget witnessed a breakthrough on Tuesday as ongoing contacts among officials were perceived positively by different government parties.

Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is loyal to AMAL, Hizbullah Minister of Administrative Development Mohammed Fneish and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, loyal to the Free Patriotic Movement, have exerted efforts during the past period in order resolve the prolonged crisis paralyzing the state.

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German FM in Lebanon Thursday in Show of Support Given Deteriorating Syrian Crisis

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Thursday in the first of a series of visits by European officials aimed at voicing support for Lebanon, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

A European diplomat told the daily that the visits are a “show of support for Lebanon given the deteriorating Syrian crisis.”

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Report: UAE to Expel Some 1,000 Lebanese Expats

The United Arab Emirates will expel around 1,000 Lebanese expats living in the country as President Michel Suleiman is scheduled to head to the gulf state on Wednesday.

Some of the Lebanese expats, who were expelled during the past few weeks, were forced to sign a document claiming that they support Hizbullah or that they are carrying out “illegal security acts,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Report: Arms in Lebanon, New Govt. Keys to March 14 Participation in National Dialogue

The March 14 forces are preparing a memorandum to hand President Michel Suleiman listing the factors that are key to their participation in the national dialogue, reported An Nahar daily on Tuesday.

It reported that the factors consist of the formation of a neutral government ahead of the 2013 parliamentary elections, setting the issue of illegal arms as a main topic of discussion, keeping Lebanon away from regional disputes, and asserting the role of the army in Lebanon.

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Miqati Approves Decree to Appoint 5 HJC Members, Refers it to Suleiman

Prime Minister Najib Miqati inked a decree to appoint five judges to the Higher Judicial Council as the tenure of the current members ended on June 5, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, the premier referred the decree to President Michel Suleiman.

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Tense Security Situation in Lebanon Leads to Reconciliation between al-Lino and al-Muqdah

A reconciliation was reached on Monday between the former head of the Palestinian Armed Struggle, Mahmoud Issa, who goes by the nom de guerre of al-Lino, and the former leader of Fatah in Lebanon Munir al-Maqdah, reported As Safir on Tuesday.

The tense security situation in Lebanon was the main driving force for the reconciliation, revealed Palestinian sources to the newspaper.

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