President Michel Suleiman has called for democratic changes in the region but without bloodshed saying democracy should be achieved through peaceful means.

On his way back to Beirut after extending condolences to Saudi King Abdullah over the death of the crown prince, Suleiman told An Nahar’s reporter: “There is no escape from democracies in the Arab world but such democracies should be (achieved) through peaceful means away from bloodshed.”

The March 14-led opposition stressed the need to resume dialogue in Lebanon but among members of the “new parliamentary majority camp,” al-Mustaqbal newspaper reported on Thursday.

March 14 leadership sources told the daily in comments on Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for all-party talks, that “the dialogue is a vital necessity, but among the new majority camp… amid the disputes that proved they are incapable of resolving even the smallest issues.”

Visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jake Walles, held talks on Wednesday with Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, announced the U.S. Embassy in a statement.

The U.S. official had held talks on Tuesday with a number of Lebanese officials to discuss the political, security, and economic situation in Lebanon, as well as the current situation in Syria, it added.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel held talks on Monday with President Michel Suleiman on the former’s recent trip to Egypt.

Gemayel informed him of his talks with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amro, Coptic Pope Shenouda III, and al-Azhar Shiekh Ahmed al-Tayyib.

President Michel Suleiman called on Monday for amending the law that established the Constitutional Council to keep it away from the bickering between Lebanese politicians.

“It’s necessary to entrust the task of interpreting the Constitution to the Constitutional Council and this requires an amendment,” Suleiman said in a speech at the opening of the conference of the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts and Councils at the Bristol Hotel in Beirut.

The rejection of Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement to promote head of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch Col. Wissam al-Hassan came upon pressure from Syria, al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc sources said.

The sources told al-Liwaa daily published Monday that Syria was frustrated at ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi’s attempt to link the disappearance of Syrian opposition members in Lebanon to the Syrian embassy.

Premier Najib Miqati’s sources have denied a TV report that the PM has agreed to amend the protocol of cooperation signed between the Lebanese government and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

OTV reported Sunday that Miqati has held several telephone conversations with Speaker Nabih Berri and has agreed “in principle” to introduce changes to the protocol.

A series of controversial issues are awaiting a solution by the cabinet but the death of the Saudi Crown Prince forced a postponement of a session on Tuesday, a move that came as a safe exit out for the bickering government ministers.

Informed sources told An Nahar daily on Monday that the “cracks” worsened during the last government session over the dispute between the ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and those representing Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat.

No progress was made in the past hours in the efforts to find a solution to the objection to promote head of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch Col. Wissam al-Hassan, a security source told An Nahar daily on Sunday.

President Michel Suleiman withheld his signature from a decree to promote around 400 police officers in all security institutions because of the objection over al-Hassan’s promotion to brigadier general.

An extraordinary cabinet session on tourism scheduled to be held next Tuesday was postponed over the death of Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, An Nahar newspaper reported.

The daily said Sunday that the decision to postpone the session came after Premier Najib Miqati decided to head to Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral.