BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rival Lebanese leaders will meet again on Thursday to try to agree on a government reshuffle following two days of talks aimed at defusing a political crisis that has threatened to spill into the streets. The talks, which began on Monday with a pledge by Lebanon’s politicians to refrain from attacking each other in the media, focused on Tuesday on the key issue —

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who convened the talks, described the session as "frank, deep and rich" and said the leaders would use the break to consider various proposed compromises such as expanding the government to include more opposition members"Bringing down the government is not proposed. Personally, I am not proposing a new prime minister or a new government statement or a vote of confidence in the government," Berri told reporters after the session.

"The government could expand or contract. In this case, participation cannot be except with more than a third." He set Thursday as the date for the next meeting.A political source said the leaders had not made major progress and divisions remained deep, but that Thursday’s session could be decisive.

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BEIRUT (Reuters) – Saddam Hussein’s death sentence on Sunday evoked satisfaction in countries he invaded, sorrow among his Palestinian admirers and resentment from some Arabs who see him as the victim of a U.S.-inspired show trial. 

Kuwaitis, who suffered a seven-month Iraqi occupation in 1990-91, applauded the Baghdad court’s decision that the former Iraqi president should hang for crimes against humanity. This is good news," Kuwaiti political analyst and former oil minister Ali al-Baghli said.  "Saddam deserves to be hanged because of the atrocities he inflicted on his people for the past 35 years and on his neighbours also. He sent millions of people to their deaths." 

Iran said it hoped Saddam, who was convicted over the deaths of more than 148 Shi’ite men from the Iraqi town of Dujail, would still be brought to book for offences it accuses him of committing during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.  Ali Farhoudi, a 38-year-old veteran of that conflict, expressed a widely held view among Iranians that the noose was too merciful a punishment for the former Iraqi president. 

BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanese leaders return to roundtable talks to discuss possible government changes amid threats to take to the streets by both pro-Damascus Hezbollah and the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority.The crucial talks Sunday follow a warning from French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on Saturday of the risks of renewed violence on the Lebanon – Isrtael border after the Jewish state’s devastating summer war with Hezbollah.

The Shiite group Hezbollah has been seeking to cash in on its "divine victory" — for its guerrillas’ fierce resistance to the month-long Israeli offensive – by pressing for a government of national unity.The militant group, which has two representatives in the cabinet, wants more seats in government for its allies, mostly followers of Christian leader Michel Aoun. Influential parliament speaker Nabih Berri has called for the national dialogue among leaders of the various communities to consider a unity government and the adoption of a new electoral law to end the political stalemate.

BEIRUT (AFP) – The United nations has given a positive assessment of the situation in south Lebanon almost three months after the israel – Hezbollah war except for continued Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace. "Things in the south are looking very well, but we need an end to the overflights," Geir Pedersen, the Lebanon representative […]

LONDON, November 5 (IranMania) – Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Reza Sheybani in a meeting with Lebanon military commander General Michele Soleyman expressed Iran’s readiness to equip Lebanese army with advanced aerial defence, IRNA reported.Sheybani also called for promotion of joint cooperation in the field of defence and implementation of agreements previously signed in this concern. […]

إيمان إبراهيم من بيروت: على الرّغم من حملات التشكيك التي تعرّض لها بعد العدوان الإسرائيلي على لبنان، وشعور كل من صدّقه بأنّه كان مخدوعاً، لأنّه لم يشر في توقّعاته عشيّة رأس السّنة التي شهدت آخر إطلالاته التلفزيونيّة إلى تلك الحرب، وتبريره بأنّه ما كان ليثير خوف وقلق اللبنانيين بالحديث عن الحرب، وأنّه اكتفى بالحديث عن حادث كبير سيقع داخل نفق، ما يزال ميشال حايك، الذي أطلق عليه لقب "نوستراداموس العرب"، ما يزال يملك تلك القدرة الكبيرة على تسمير المشاهدين أمام شاشة التلفزيون، للاستماع منه شخصياً إلى توقّعاته، بعد أن انتشرت شائعات على شبكة الإنترنت عن توقّعات كان يسارع بنفسه إلى التبرؤ منها.
ميشال حايك أطلّ في برنامج "أكيد أكيد مايسترو" مع الإعلامي نيشان، ليعلن عن تنبؤات لم يقل بعضها سوداويّة عمّا سبق وتوقّعه ليلة رأس السّنة، وعمّا تداولته وسائل الإعلام في مقابلات صحفيّة أجراها حايك مؤخراً. وأبرز ما جاء في توقّعات حايك للمرحلة المقبلة:
_  قسم من مزارع شبعا يتكرس بصيغة نهائية للبنان، أمّا القسم الثّاني فهو مغلّف بالضّباب.
_ لبناني يحوز على جائزة نوبل.
_ هزّتان كبيرتان ستصيب قوات اليونيفيل في لبنان، حيث ستحدث جرائم قتل في صفوفه، أمّا الحادثة الثانية، فتتعلّق بجدل كبير سيدور حول سحب قوات إحدى البلدان المشاركة من لبنان.
_ إشارة سوداء مشتركة لها علاقة بأكثر من فنان ورجل دين، إذ يرى حايك رجال دين وفنانين مجتمعين في ساحات المستشفيات، زحمة، قلق، وجوه سوداء حزينة مثل الحدث. حايك رفض إضافة المزيد من التفاصيل مكتفياً بأنّه يرى ذلك المشهد يصيب الفنّانين ورجال الدّين.

By KATHERINE ZOEPF, BEIRUT,Lebanon