The Interior Ministry on Thursday published a highly controversial decree granting Lebanese nationality to dozens of people, after politicians and ordinary citizens alike fumed over the secrecy that shrouded the edict over the past few days.

“After the naturalization decree numbered 2942 (May 11, 2018) turned into a public opinion issue, and in line with the transparency principle, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities announces that it published the decree this afternoon on its website: www.interior.gov.lb,” the ministry said in a statement.

Caretaker Economy Minister Raed Khoury assured on Thursday that banning the entry of some Turkish products into the Lebanese market aims at safeguarding the economy, as he assured that Lebanon’s ties with Turkey are “very good.”

Head of the Constitutional Council Issam Suleiman announced on Thursday that 17 appeals have be filed to the Council contesting the results of the parliamentary elections.

Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat reportedly will lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia later this week, the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported on Thursday.

In spite of “optimistic atmospheres” of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri that he is putting “maximum effort” to line-up the government, the formation path “has not witnessed any announced contacts” since his return from Riyadh, amid indecisiveness on whether it should include 32, 30 or 26 portfolios, al-Joumjouria daily reported on Thursday.

Speaker Nabih Berri said that the United States notified Lebanon of Israel's readiness to discuss a controversial issue of defining the land and sea borders between the two countries, Berri told Russian Sputnik news agency on Wednesday.

In light of the controversy surrounding a “secretive” presidential decree granting nationality to dozens including Syrian investors close to the Syrian regime, several Arab and foreign embassies have requested information about whether some of the figures are under international and Gulf sanctions, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

The daily said the “embassies have shown special interest in the decree in the last 24 hours. They indirectly asked for information about it to know whether the individuals granted citizenship are linked to international and Gulf sanctions.”

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced on Tuesday during a Iftar in Beirut that the government to be formed will be comprised of 30 ministers.

MP Jamil Sayyed, a spy chief once jailed in connection to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri gave testimony Tuesday to the international tribunal tasked with trying the crime.

As part of coordinating efforts to counter a controversial naturalization decree granting Lebanese citizenship to foreigners, lawyers of three political parties met on Tuesday at the Kataeb headquarters in al-Saifi, the National News Agency said on Tuesday.

Lawyers from the Kataeb party, Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist Party held talks to discuss the law that is yet to be disclosed.