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FSA Says Not Seeking to Fight Hizbullah but Will Respond if Attacked

The rebel Free Syrian Army stated on Wednesday that it is not seeking to start a military confrontation with Hizbullah on the Lebanese border, stressing however, that it will respond to any attack by the party.

"I have personally asked President Michel Suleiman to intervene and prevent Hizbullah from bombing our locations,” FSA chief of staff General Selim Idriss revealed during an interview on Future television.

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Nasrallah Adopts Proportional-Single District Electoral Law, Says Some Sunni MPs, Clerics Seeking Strife

Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday called for endorsing an electoral law based on proportional representation and a single electoral district, warning that some parties are seeking sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon.

“There is an alternative that addresses all the reservations voiced over the Orthodox Gathering law and we will work in a very serious manner for this alternative choice, although the Orthodox law will remain on the table,” said Nasrallah in a televised address he made to comment on the latest developments.

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Aoun Says Incitement Leads to War: Any Electoral Law with Known Results Will Not Pass

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun warned on Tuesday against the current “dangerous security situation in the country”, explaining that not responding to “incitement, provocation, killing and kidnapping incidents will lead to an internal war”.

"Politicians and those keen on preserving the constitution are held responsible for any conflict that may erupt in the country,” Aoun stated in a statement he gave after Change and Reform parliamentary bloc's weekly meeting, adding that “armed forces on ground are preparing for this war”.

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Young Men Attack Asir Supporters in Salim Salam after Islamist Demo

Supporters of Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir were assaulted by an angry mob in the Zoqaq al-Blat-Salim Salam area on Sunday.

Around 2:30 p.m., soon after the end of an Islamist sit-in at the nearby Martyrs Square at which Asir delivered a speech, dozens of young men from the Zoqaq al-Blat neighborhood blocked the Salim Salam highway and started subjecting the passing vehicles to identity checks, a Naharnet reporter witnessed.

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Suleiman Urges 'Syrian Side' to Stop Shelling Lebanon after Death of 2 Lebanese

President Michel Suleiman on Sunday urged the “Syrian side” to refrain from opening fire and shelling Lebanon after two Lebanese were killed on the northern border with Syria.

Suleiman “expressed regret” at the death of Lebanese from “military operations near the Lebanese border,” said a statement issued by Baabda palace.

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Aoun: Alternative to Orthodox Proposal is Law Based on Single District, Proportional Representation

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Friday said “the alternative” to the electoral law proposed by the Orthodox Gathering would be an electoral law that turns Lebanon into a single electoral district under a proportional representation system.

“I did not celebrate over the (approval of the) Orthodox Gathering law (by the joint parliamentary committees) and it is not a victory because victory is to be achieved during elections,” Aoun said in an interview on al-Manar television.

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Geagea to Allies: Reach Consensus on Electoral Law instead of Criticizing Orthodox Proposal

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on his allies in the March 14 coalition to make an effort to reach consensus over an electoral law instead of “continuously attacking” the Orthodox Gathering's draft, criticizing spreading a “fake victory atmosphere” among March 8's Christians.

“I urge political factions to agree on an electoral law instead of attacking the Orthodox draft,” Geagea stated in a speech he gave at a LF ceremony in Maarab, during which the door to admitting new party members was opened.

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Pre-Trial Judge Postpones Hariri Trial Date at Defense's Request

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen postponed on Thursday the start of trial in the case of Ayyash et al., announced the STL in a statement.

The decision is in response to the Defense Counsel for the four accused in the February 14, 2005 attack asking Fransen to postpone the trial date.

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Peres Urges EU to Put Hizbullah on Terror Blacklist

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday made a fresh call for the European Union to put Hizbullah on its terror blacklist, after Syrian rebels claimed the group had fired across the border at Syrian villages.

Earlier this month, Bulgaria named Hizbullah as responsible for a July bombing in the seaside report of Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists and their local driver, bringing fresh calls for Hizbullah to be added to the EU blacklist.

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Aoun 'Congratulates' Geagea, Gemayel, al-Rahi on Orthodox Law Approval, Says May Create 'New Realities'

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said “new realities” might emerge concerning ties with his Christian rivals, after they contributed to the joint parliamentary committees' approval of the controversial draft electoral law proposed by the Orthodox Gathering.

“Today is the brightest day in Lebanon's history because rights were returned to their owners without encroaching on the rights of others. The value of the votes of marginalized groups has been restored, that's why we're happy with this achievement,” Aoun told reporters after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform in Rabiyeh.

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