A1 Team Lebanon was out on track for qualifying today at the A1 Grand Prix of Nations EuroSpeedway. The demands of a new car and new engine required the team to devote track time to the technical demands from Zytek, with regard to the engine, and Lola for the chassis. This focus was reflected in the final qualifying times with Khalil Beschir lining up 24th on the grid.A1 Team Lebanon started the EuroSpeedway race weekend with a new A1 racing car, following Beschir's accident during the Feature race at Brands Hatch, England. The new car required a series of technical procedures to be completed during the practice sessions and the team devoted most of its track time in free practice concentrating on these.  Khalil Beschir drove the car in first practice and with the limited time available for car setup, A1 Team Lebanon elected to optimize this with Beschir continuing to drive throughout the weekend. Team mate, Basil Shaaban, on hand at EuroSpeedway took the opportunity to join the Al Jazeera commentary team for the qualifying session adding a driver perspective for television viewers in the Arab world. The A1 Grand Prix qualifying format requires drivers to make four flying laps, within four 15 minute qualifying segments, with the best two times aggregated to produce the overall qualifying position. A1 Team Lebanon posted four good lap times, improving with each run, and with Beschir's aggregate time less than three seconds off the pole sitter.

 BEIRUT, Lebanon  (UPI)-- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Saturday launched a dialogue with the Palestinian groups in his country to ease rising tension between the two sides.  Siniora met with a delegation representing the Palestine Liberation Organization before holding talks with representatives of various pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon.  The talks came following tension between the two sides after the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command accused the Lebanese authorities of "tightening the grip" around its bases outside the 12 Palestinian refugee camps. 

The Lebanese authorities set up check-points around two PFLP-GC bases - one on the Naameh Hills outside Beirut, and another in the Western Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border - after receiving information the Syrians were smuggling arms to the group's centers.  The Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in late April after more than 20 years following popular and international pressure. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine representative Marwan Abdul Aal described the talks with Siniora as a "big message of assurances," saying the meeting was "positive and there was a lot of understanding."