Lebanon's liberation was brought about by many

In a statement made following a visit this week with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir in Bkirki, U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman pointed to two main factors as having led to the withdrawal of Syria's military and intelligence personnel from Lebanon.

The ambassador cited the first factor as international determination as expressed in UN Security Council Resolution 1559, and said the second was the determination of a united Lebanese, who turned out en masse for a huge March 14 demonstration exactly a month after the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Feltman's statement comes on the heels of an informal debate through the media between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, freshly returned from exile in Paris, and Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt over the liberation of Lebanon from Syrian hegemony.

Mikati: 'Main challenge' is preserving trust in Lebanon

Premier seeks to improve ties with private sector

By Karine Raad

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Tuesday "the main challenge (for the current government) is to find the means to preserve trust in Lebanon" and improve ties with the private sector.

During a meeting with various ministers and prominent members of the economic, commercial and banking sectors, Mikati highlighted the importance of coordination between the government and the private sector to help rejuvenate the economy, particularly in the wake of former Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.

Mikati said several goals need to be achieved despite the Cabinet's short-term status.

Europe invites Lebanon to join parliamentary assembly

Politicians were 'surprisingly welcoming'

By Nada Bakri

BEIRUT: A European parliamentary delegation has invited Lebanon to join the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), a body with a mandate to bolster the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The delegation represents the EPP-ED group, the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats in the European Parliament and was headed by Edward McMillan Scott, the vice president of European Parliament.

Lebanon's Tourism Ministry woos Arab travelers

Upcoming television campaign seeks to reassure Gulf tourists

By Will Rasmussen

BEIRUT: Lebanon is a place where diverse religious communities mingle in harmony, enjoying long, leisurely summer evenings at open-air restaurants along charming cobbled boulevards.

That, at least, is the Tourism Ministry's message to the Gulf, to be aired in 30-second television advertisements in a new promotional campaign beginning next week.

Long focused on luring Europeans to Lebanon's beaches and mountains, the Tourism Ministry is now looking eastward, worried that news of bombings and civil strife might deter deep-pocketed Gulf Arabs from visiting Lebanon this summer.