One of the seven Estonian cyclists who was freed from captivity some ten days ago, Jaan Jagomagi revealed that their kidnappers were Sunni Muslims from Iraq who abducted them for ransom in order to gain money for political purposes, he told Agence France Presse.

He said that the captives talked with their eighth abductors in English, adding that two of them were wearing explosive belts.

Israel has issued a complaint to the United Nations over U.N. Special Coordinator of Lebanon Michael Williams’ recent report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, reported the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Sunday.

It deemed the report as being “lenient” with Hizbullah, while U.N. circles said that Israel was “upset with Williams for a number of reasons, most notably the fact that he failed to mention resolution 1559 at Hizbullah’s request.”

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare is scheduled to travel to New York next week where he is set to hold talks on the investigations in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri away from the media spotlight, reported the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Sunday.

Diplomatic sources revealed that the extension of his term in his post will be addressed, adding however that this does not mean that he is seeking to end his duties “as some would like.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri accused on Saturday Hizbullah and its chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of launching campaigns against him.

Hariri’s press office issued a statement saying that “some media campaigns against him are ongoing attempts aimed at attacking everything related to ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, his family, and political and national approach.”

Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said that the Lebanese will find out the “double standard speeches” and “deception” that PM Najib Miqati adopted, stressing that the coup that happened will automatically fall when the uprising in Syria succeeds.

In an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai to be published on Sunday, Makari stressed that “the contradictory principles between PM Miqati and his cabinet members will create several confrontations among the new majority especially with Hizbullah and Michel Aoun’s team.”

Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi said on Saturday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was formed to slam the resistance’s image, the National News Agency reported.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs “Jeffrey Feltman confessed to the Congress that the U.S. administration spent $500 million to reduce Hizbullah’s attractiveness among Lebanese youth,” Moussawi said.

Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed on Saturday that his party supports dialogue among the Lebanese and expressed readiness to discuss the defense strategy but not the resistance’s arms.

“We will not discuss the resistance’s weapons issue… their hopes and demands for toppling the arms are to support the American-Israeli project,” Qassem said during a celebration in Hermel for the birth of Imam Mahdi and the anniversary of the 2006 war.

President Michel Suleiman is mulling to invite Lebanese leaders to all-party talks at Baabda palace next month as presidential sources said that the dialogue table could witness radical changes.

The sources told As Safir daily published Saturday that some personalities would be left out while the dialogue would witness new faces.

Sources close to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said in reference to the March 14 forces that they reject any attempt to put obstacles to the national dialogue.

“We had always called for calm and rational dialogue to limit the tension in the country and prevent further political divisions among the Lebanese that threaten civil peace,” the sources told As Safir daily published Saturday.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat is seeking to bridge the gap between ex-PM Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal movement and the two main Shiite parties Amal and Hizbullah.

A minister close to Jumblat told al-Liwaa daily published Saturday that Jumblat, through his meetings in Lebanon and abroad, is seeking to revive contacts between al-Mustaqbal as the main representative of Sunnis in Lebanon and both Amal and Hizbullah.