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Lebanon\'s President Michel Sleiman has raised hopes that a new government could soon see the light of day. Speaking to diplomats at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Sleiman said all major obstacles had been overcome, and that he was putting the final touches on the new cabinet. He added that this weekend would be decisive. Sleiman\'s remarks are the strongest signal yet of an end to the 10-months political deadlock in Lebanon. The country has been reeling from the political turmoil since the March 2013 resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati. President Sleiman\'s mandate runs out on May 25.

Press conference given on October 13, 2010 at about 1030bst by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Michele Slieman on President Ahmadinejad's historic visit to Lebanon. English Voiceover

(Last 9 min missing. We thank LitleButerfli for the upload.) Sayyed Nasrallah: Ready for Dialogue, Resistance Weapon Saved Lebanon Marwa Haidar As his eminence stressed that kidnapping of the Lebanese visitors would not change Hezbollah’s position from the Syrian crisis, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced his party’s decision to take part in the National Dialogue in Lebanon which President Michel Sleiman has called for. Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that the Lebanese army has been the most important guarantee to establish security, urging Lebanese to support this service and to stand behind it. Addressing massive crowds who were marking the twelfth anniversary of Liberation in the southern city of Bint Jbeil, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the weapon of the resistance had defend Lebanon against the Zionist entity, adding that May 25 of the year of 2000 had hammered the last pin of the so-called “Greater Israel” coffin. Sayyed Nasralla also tackled the current developments related to the release of the Lebanese visitors who were kidnapped by Syrian opposition militants two days ago. Hezbollah S.G. thanked the three Presidents: Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Miqati as well as former Premier Saad al-Haririr for their efforts that helped in releasing the visitors. His eminence also underlined the importance of the magical formula: army-people-resistance, saying it was the main deterrent against the Israeli attacks. Tackling the latest unrest in the north, Sayyed Nasrallah criticized what he described as the chaos of weapons, refusing to compare between these arms and the resistance weapon. “FIRM STANCE ON SYRIA” Talking about the abduction of Lebanese visitors, Sayyed Nasrallah said Hezbollah’s position from the Syrian crisis would not change, as he thanked different Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish figures for their efforts that helped in releasing the visitors. “We thank God the abduction ended without negative consequences. However it may have some positive ones,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “Since the first moment of the abduction, several national parties launched many possible contacts in order to release the kidnapped visitors.\\\\\\\" “We thank President Sleiman, PM Miqati, Speaker Berri and Saad al-Hariri, who exert special efforts to free the visitors,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. Meanwhile, Hezbollah S.G. hailed the people’s commitment to calls of calm, noting that the cutting off the roads was useless. “We also thank people who were calm and respond to calls of self restrain.” “Cutting off roads is useless as well as attacking Syrian citizens which is forbidden,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. On the other hand, his eminence said that Hezbollah’s stance on the Syrian crisis was firm and obvious, stressing that the political solution was the only way to end the unrest there. “To kidnappers I say: your act is condemned and it harms what you are working on.” “If you were aiming at changing our political position on the Syrian crisis, then your act is fruitless and has no sense,” his eminence also told the kidnappers. “Our stance is firm and clear, we support the political solution in Syria in order to end the current crisis.” RESISTANCE ACHIEVEMENTS Talking about the occasion, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Resistance and Liberation day was for all Lebanese sects without exception, assuring that the formula of army-people-resistance was the only formula to defend Lebanon. “May 25 is a day for the Lebanese state as well as for all the national parties who contributed to this resistance. This day is also for all who supported the resistance to achieve this victory.” Sayyed Nasrallah said that the resistance had foiled Israeli project against Lebanon. “Everyone knows that the Israeli occupation of 1982 was a part of a US-Israeli project which aimed at inserting Lebanon in the Israeli era; however the resistance foiled this project.” “The Israeli enemy thought that its army would stay in Lebanon, but the resistance gave it a clear impression that the Lebanese land was not safe to implement its projects,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. “This land was liberated with dignity and without any precondition or any accord of humiliation,” Hezbollah S.G. stressed. “The conspiracy planned for Lebanon by the Israeli enemy has failed, thank God.” Sayyed Nasrallah also stressed that the Zionist entity by virtue of the resistance could not dare to attack Lebanon. “Since May 25, 2000 and till now, except for July war in 2006, the Israeli enemy hasn’t dare to attack Lebanon by virtue of army-people-resistance equation.” “Israel which has been attacking us, it fears today that we may attack it, for that the Zionist entity started the construction of the wall along the Lebanese-occupied territories borders.” “May 25 hammered the last pin of the so-called Greater Israel coffin,” Sayyed Nasrallah assured. Meanwhile, Hezbollah S.G. talked about the wall which the Zionist entity has been building along the border with Lebanon. But Sayyed Nasrallah said that this wall would not defend the Zionist entity, stressing that the resistance’s rockets have been capable of reaching any location in the occupied territories. “The Zionist entity sought to dominate the region from Nile to Furat, including Litani River. But today there are people whose rockets can reach any location in the occupied territories.” CHAOS OF WEAPONS Talking about the unrest the Lebanese witnessed in the country’s north, Sayed Nasrallah talked about a chaos of weapons in the country. His eminence also noted that no party can deny its procession of weapons, refusing to compare these arms with the weapon of resistance. “Surely no party can deny it has weapons.. Everybody in Lebanon has arms, whether it were heavy or light weapons.” “What is the aim of these weapons which we witnessed? It’s unacceptable for someone to say they are individual weapons.” Sayyed Nasrallah wondered about the achievements of these weapons, as his eminence refused to compare between the two types of arms. “We believe that there is an essential difference between the two types of arms.” Although that the two types of arms were not similar, Sayyed Nasrallah said he had no problem in discussing the resistance’s weapon. “We are ready to discuss this weapon or that. Let us discuss the defense strategy, the strategy that concerns all the Lebanese people.” In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted the importance of the army-people-resistance formula. READY FOR DIALOGUE Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah said Hezbollah was ready to go on the national dialogue which President Sleiman had called for. “President Sleiman called for a national Dialogue. Hezbollah agrees to take part in the dialogue without any precondition.\\\\\\\" But Sayyed Nasrallah said that March 14 alliance should also take part in the dialogue without preconditions, as they must abandon the calls for the government to step down. Hezbollah S.G. also called on Lebanese to support the army and to stand behind it. “The important service in Lebanon is the army”, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the army “is the last and the most important gurantee of the security in Lebanon.” “For that we must defend the army in order for it to do its duties,” Sayyed Nasrallah said further.

Lebanon condemns Quran burning plan Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has condemned a US church\'s plan to burn copies of the Muslim holy book to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11 attacks. Speaking on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Sleiman said on Wednesday that the controversial decision contradicts Christian teachings and humanitarian values such as love and respect, a Press TV correspondent reported. \"The president condemns the announcement of a religious group in the United States of its intention to openly burn copies of the Quran,\" read a statement released by the president\'s office. Burning the Quran \"is a clear contradiction of the teachings of the three Abrahamic religions and of dialogue among the three faiths,\" Christianity, Islam and Judaism, AFP quoted the Christian president as saying. Pastor Terry Jones, who is part of the Dove World Outreach Center, a small evangelical Christian church in Gainesville, Florida, with an anti-Islam philosophy, has threatened to burn some 200 copies of the Quran on Saturday evening, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The threat has drawn international condemnation with Muslims launching protest rallies around the globe. US officials have also denounced the plan but no legal measure has been taken yet to block the blasphemous move. The US State Department also called the move \"un-American,\" while the US Attorney General Eric Holder called the idea \"idiotic and dangerous.\" EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton condemned the planned act, while Arab League chief Amr Mussa dubbed Jones a \"fanatic\". The Vatican council has blasted the Florida church\'s scheme as an \"outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community.\" Many Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Indonesia have already held massive demonstrations against the US church\'s intent. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/141762.html

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has just arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for a two-day official visit. The Iranian chief executive, who is in Lebanon at an official invitation by his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman, was warmly welcomed by a number of prominent Lebanese officials at Beirut International Airport on Wednesday morning. A large crowd of Lebanese people were cheering President Ahmadinejad and waving Iran's flags on his route to the Lebanese Presidential palace. He is scheduled to address international reporters in a press conference in the Lebanese capital. The Iranian chief executive will then meet with Iranian and Lebanese businessmen. Later the Iranian president will head to southern Beirut to visit the area where Israeli bombs destroyed the location during 2006 war against the state. Many analysts believe that President Ahmadinejad's trip to Lebanon is aimed at consolidating resistance's position against Israel. Earlier, President Sleiman had asked the Islamic Republic to equip the country's army and supply the state with defense industry. The Iranian president is so popular among the Lebanese nation and is seen as the sympbol of resistance against Israel as he has been outspoken, criticizing Israel's atrocities against Lebanese and Palestinians. Iran offered unconditional support to Lebanon after Israel's war on Lebanon in summer 2006, when Tel Aviv destroyed the country's main infrastructure, electricity and water systems. Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah hailed Iran's big role in rebuilding Lebanon following the Israeli war. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/146471.html

Lebanon's national unity government collapsed on Wednesday after eleven ministers, 10 from the Hezbollah-led March 8 Alliance and one close to Sleiman, resigned as Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri was on an official visit in Washington.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has issued a decree appointing Hezbollah-backed candidate Najib Mikati as the country's new prime minister.

Iran president chairs meeting of special committee on Mina tragedy