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Aoun: Nothing Indicates Cabinet will be Formed Soon, We're Not Concerned with Parliament Sessions

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday ruled out an imminent formation of a new cabinet as he slammed the performance of the parliament.

“Nothing indicates that the cabinet will be formed soon and everyone is saying it may be formed in September or when the (parliament's) 17-month extension period ends,” Aoun told reporters after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc in Rabiyeh.

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GCC: Hizbullah's Continued Intervention in Syria Hinders Geneva Conference

Gulf Cooperation Council's foreign ministers warned late Saturday that Hizbullah's continued involvement in the Syrian war was threatening the Geneva peace conference.

Following a consultative meeting they held in Manama, the ministers condemned in a statement “the continued involvement of Hizbullah's militias” in Syria.

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Aoun Condemns 'Extending Bloody Conflict' on Streets, Says Illegal to Extend Qahwaji Term

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Friday rejected what he called “selectivity” in putting draft laws on parliament's agenda, stressing that extending the term of Army chief General Jean Qahwaji would be illegal and not an appropriate way to “reward” the army after the Abra battle.

“Urgent draft laws were disregarded and not put on the agenda of parliament's session, although they have the priority,” Aoun said after an extraordinary meeting for the Change and Reform bloc.

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Troops Detained for Abusing Asir Supporter as Qahwaji Orders Probe

The army on Thursday handed over a group of soldiers accused of abusing a detainee to the military police for questioning, a military source and the state-run National News Agency said.

The move came after amateur video emerged showing a group of soldiers humiliating, beating and kicking a man suspected of supporting a Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir whose men fought troops near the southern city of Sidon.

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Hizbullah Vacates Disputed Apartments in Sidon

Hizbullah vacated several apartments in the area of Abra in the southern city of Sidon, handing them over to the Lebanese army, three days after gunbattles turned the city into a battle zone.

The apartments, which lie meters from the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque compound in which Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir was a preacher, were one of the main reason for the fierce campaign launched by him against Hizbullah.

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Aoun Says Extending Qahwaji's Term 'Not Price for Army Sacrifices': Sidon Clashes Result of Mustaqbal Neglect

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stressed on Tuesday that extending the term of the Army Commander "must not be the price for the troops' sacrifice" in the clashes of the southern city of Sidon.

"The army's sacrifice must not be a price for extending Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji's term especially that we are against extension in general,” Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc, in response to former premier Saad Hariri's suggestion.

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Qahwaji Inspects Army Units in Sidon as Manhunt Launched for Asir

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji inspected on Tuesday military units in the southern city of Sidon as security forces launched a major manhunt for radical Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir.

In the coastal city meanwhile, the army worked to consolidate its control, after troops overran Asir's headquarters on Monday afternoon.

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Bahia Hariri: Sidon Clashes Stir Premeditated Sedition

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Bahia Hariri stated on Sunday the clashes in the southern city of Sidon between the gunmen of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and the army “aimed at stirring a premeditated sedition.”

“Today we are counting on the army more than ever and these clashes are aimed at stirring a premeditated sedition,” Hariri said in a phone call with Future television.

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Hollande Warns: Hizbullah Intervention in Syria Will Definitely Affect Lebanon Fragility

French President Francois Hollande warned on Sunday that Hizbullah's intervention in Syria will “definitely have repercussions on the fragile balance in Lebanon.”

“The party’s activities in the Syrian war will definitely have repercussions on Lebanon’s fragile balance,” Hollande told reporters during an official trip to Qatar.

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Hundreds Rally against Parliament Term Extension, Security Forces Prevent Them from Reaching Nejmeh Square

Hundreds of citizens and civil society activists demonstrated Thursday afternoon in rejection of the extension of parliament's term, as security forces prevented them several times from crossing the barriers into Nejmeh Square which houses parliament's building.

Protesters carried banners highlighting the living conditions that the lawmakers have failed to address, such as the new rent law, and slogans against the extension of parliament's mandate, which will go into effect at midnight.

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