The March 14-led opposition will not hold a popular rally to mark the anniversary of the Cedar Revolution; instead it will hold a general assembly meeting.

Unlike all its popular rallies at downtown Beirut’s Martyrs Square held in previous years, the number of people attending the March 14, 2012 gathering will be limited because of the turmoil that took place in the Arab world over the past year.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc is gearing up to propose an urgent draft law that would call for a comprehensive settlement to the billions of dollars of extra-budgetary spending made since 2006, al-Liwaa daily reported Wednesday.

It said the opposition bloc that is part of the March 14 coalition will propose the draft law in an effort to ward off attempts by the March 8 parliamentary majority of clinching a vote on a $5.9 billion bill on spending made by Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet in 2011.

Syrian authorities have prevented an “armed terrorist group” from infiltrating Syria through the Ouyoun al-Shara-Halat crossing point in Talkalakh which borders northern Lebanon, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

Quoting an official source, SANA said three members of the group were killed and several others wounded in a clash with Syrian security forces.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Tuesday said the U.S. Administration understands Lebanon’s situation and that of the Lebanese-Syrian relations.

“However, we must look at what Lebanon did and the prominent role it played by taking care of the Syrian refugees”, Connelly added, in an interview on LBC.

The Mustaqbal bloc rejected on Tuesday parliament’s attempt to issue a law to increase the roof of government spending for Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s cabinet.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Should such a law be approved, then it should apply to all governments, past and present.”

The Progressive Socialist Party stressed on Tuesday that the party’s criticism of the Syrian regime is not linked to the internal Lebanese situation.

It said in a statement: “PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat emphasized during his recent meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir the need to prevent the unrest in Syria from spreading to Lebanon.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that no appointment has yet been reached over the appointments of top civil servants.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “An agreement over this issue has not been reached with President Michel Suleiman.”

The security forces succeeded on Tuesday in releasing the two Syrian teenagers who were kidnapped on Monday, reported the National News Agency.

They were released after the kidnappers received $1 million in ransom, reported Voice of Lebanon radio.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani postponed on Tuesday the elections of the Higher Islamic Council for two months to allow for the necessary reform at Dar al-Fatwa.

Qabbani approved Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s initiative to postpone the elections that he had call for on April 22 for two months to carry out the reforms in principle and pave way for the election of a new Council this year, the National News Agency reported.

Phalange Party MP Sami Gemayel slammed on Tuesday the new official history book that is being prepared to be taught at schools throughout the country, saying that it lacks objectivity and it selectively recounts historic events.

He said during a press conference: “We warn that we will stage educational disobedience if the new book is approved by cabinet because we will not allow it to be used at schools.”